Techno-economic feasibility of a system to measure farm environmental impact towards a Sustainable Intensification Audit & Management System- SIAMS

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To measure ‘sustainable intensification’ we must compare crop yield (intensification) & gross margin (economic sustainability) with relevant, quantifiable environmental impact indicators (environmental sustainability). The main environmental indicators farmers should consider are Water Management/Pollution; Greenhouse Gas Emissions & Biodiversity. We propose to develop a system to assimilate, calculate & display this environmental impact data alongside yield, quality & fiscal performance data to create a valuable representation of farm physical, financial & environmental performance on a field by field basis. This feasibility study will look at the potential of utilising data already stored within GateKeeper (a farm data software tool) and several other data sources, combined with new farm scale data in a series of models, fused in a single software system we call SIAMS. These models will help the farm manager & agronomist identify & modify their agronomic inputs avoiding wasteful & potentially harmful applications. Subject to feasibility study results we will then need to develop the data fusion platform & possibly two systems for capturing & analysing localised flora & fauna data. This technology could position UK agriculture at the forefront of precision farming & sustainable intensification.