What the action involves
This action’s aim is that there’s a legume fallow that produces areas of flowering plants from late spring and during the summer months. The purpose of this is to:
- manage nutrient efficiency and improved soil health
- provide food for farmland wildlife, such as pollen and nectar for pollinators and farmland birds
- support an IPM approach by reducing grass weeds and, if located close to cropped areas, encourage natural crop pest predators
When to do it
If you’re doing this action on the same area of land for the 3-year duration of your SFI agreement, you must:
- establish the legume fallow during the first 12 months of your SFI agreement
- maintain the same area of legume fallow in each subsequent year of your 3-year SFI agreement
If you’re rotating this action around your farm, each year of your SFI agreement you must do it for a period of time that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
How to do it It’s up to you how you complete this action, as long as you do it in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim.
You may find it helpful to read the voluntary guidance on how to establish and maintain a legume fallow, but you do not have to follow it.
What evidence to keep You should keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action. This will help if it’s not clear that you’ve completed the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim. You must supply this evidence if we ask for it.
This evidence could include photographs and other documentation to show what you’ve done to complete this action. It could also include field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices. If you choose to take photographs, read the guidance on how to take photographic evidence (annex A).
land The SFI actions for farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land are focused on providing habitat and food sources for farmland birds, pollinators and a range of other farmland wildlife.
They can also support an IPM approach if they’re done close to cropped areas, which can help to reduce costs and improve farm resilience.
The actions include:
- AHL1: Pollen and nectar flower mix
- AHL2: Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land
- AHL3: Grassy field corners and blocks
Provide habitat and food sources for farmland wildlife (Credit: Alison Day)
The same action appears in the other schemes under a different code. The work is broadly the same; the rate and the length of the commitment are not.
- SFI26 — CNUM3: £532 per hectare per year, over 3 years
- SFI26 pays £61 less per hectare per year.
Where you can do it
You can do this action on eligible agricultural land located below the moorland line. The table below sets out what land is eligible for NUM3.
Eligible land type Eligible land use code Compatible land cover Arable crops Arable land Leguminous and nitrogen- Arable land Arable land, including temporary fixing crops grassland FA01 Arable land TG01 Arable land Permanent crops – horticultural TC01 Permanent crops
The glossary (annex C) explains what we mean by land types, land use codes and compatible land covers.
The SFI application service will automatically calculate what area may be eligible for this action in each land parcel. This is called the ‘SFI available area’. You must check this area is an eligible land type. Find out how the SFI available area is calculated in the information on land that’s eligible for the SFI actions (section 4.1.2).
You can apply for this action on either the total SFI available area in each land parcel shown in your SFI application, or part of that area.
This action is rotational. You can do it on the same area of eligible land each year of your 3- year SFI agreement, or you can move the area each year. You should not enter any area within a land parcel into this action that has peaty soil because this action could damage peat. Peaty soil means there’s around 20% or more organic matter to a depth of 40cm or more. The SOM test results from completing SAM1 will tell you if this is the case.
