Nearly 200 Agrii agronomists and crop input specialists have completed environmental training that will help customers comply with new regulations, identify sustainable practices and promote biodiversity across their farms and estates.
The training is in addition to the BASIS crop protection and FACTS courses that all Agrii advisers complete as part of their employment. In addition to the environmental syllabus, almost 100 have completed separate courses in soil care, and 150 have completed courses in sustainability.
The training, which Agrii sees as part of its obligation to customers, will ensure its advisers are equipped with the knowledge and understanding needed to meet the soil health actions contained in the sustainable farming incentive (SFI) and ensure they are able to capture the revenue opportunities that flow from sequestering carbon.
The training has been delivered internally by Amy Watkins, Agrii sustainability manager, and Paul Pickford, Agrii business management consultant, with the participants required to sit the online BASIS course in order to gain the qualification.
“The training is part of our ambition to develop the people and systems that support growers in meeting the challenges and opportunities of the future,” says Amy Watkins.
“Some of these measures, such as the soil health aspects of the SFI, have been years in development, but the industry is still grappling with how to implement them and understand the legacy of the some of the actions being promoted. This training lays the foundation needed to answer these questions,”
The courses are intentionally rigorous and certified by BASIS. For those who want to specialise, Agrii is offering the opportunity for higher-level courses that can count towards a BASIS diploma in crop protection.
“We are working with BASIS to develop courses that reflect the advisory and compliance needs of the future, for example, the need to understand greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture better so farmers can accurately calculate carbon and the need to meet net zero targets,” adds Ms Watkins.
The courses are supplemented with relevant in-field training and farm visits, such as to biodiversity projects run by conservation groups that seek to demonstrate how different farming methods can affect wildlife and environmental outcomes.
For more information on Agrii Soil Services, contact Agrii customer services on 0845 6073 322 or visit the Soil Resilience Strategy section of the Agrii website for a free copy of our Soil Resilience Strategy guide
