As a result, farming businesses are becoming more exposed to risk, both from extreme weather driven by climate change as well as market fluctuations. Many in the sector are looking to diversify their business – moving away from over-reliance on one or two operations
At Land App, we understand the importance of strategic land planning for successful diversification projects. Our mapping software is designed to empower you with the tools needed to assess and unlock the full potential of your land. Here are 5 ways Land App can assist you in planning and executing farm diversification:
- Detailed Mapping and Valuation Plans: Visualise and assess key land characteristics such as soil quality, terrain, and existing infrastructure. Detailed mapping helps identify optimal areas for diversification initiatives like renewable energy installations, agritourism sites, or specialised crop cultivation. Using our layering features, you can design and compare multiple plans at once, meaning you can assess the viability of different scenarios and ensure you get the most from your land.
- Impressive Data Layer Library: Diversification is not an easy decision. It requires not only a deep understanding of profit and loss for your business but also of your land. Where can farming continue? Where might nature be enhanced and funded under emerging schemes and markets? Where does my land intersect with key designations, flood zones, public rights of way, SSSIs and so on? Land App hosts over 80 data layers to help you answer questions like these – in order to branch out from current land use, understanding all context, constraints and possibilities on your land is essential.
- Seamless Agri-Scheme Applications: As BPS funding is being phased out, new Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMs) are coming into force. Grants like the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), Countryside Stewardship (CS and CS+), Landscape Recovery and the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) offer exciting opportunities for land managers to be paid public money to create ‘public goods’ – restoring, enhancing and creating access to nature. Appraising your land and applying for these schemes requires careful planning, clear mapping and precise financing, often collaborating with neighbours and advisors.
- Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG): As BNG legislation is now live, developments are required to have a minimum of 10% uplift in biodiversity. If this can’t be achieved on-site, many will look to buy ‘credits’ from ‘off-site’ providers, who commit part of their farm or land to biodiversity creation or enhancement in return. BNG and ‘habitat banking’ is therefore an interesting and potentially rewarding way of diversifying. Mapping, planning and understanding uplift can be complicated and time-consuming – which is why Land App offers a comprehensive suite of tools to ensure you can baseline, appraise and plan your biodiversity net gain. Learn more about how we help to do this, here
- Collaborate with stakeholders: Whether it’s designing agroforestry, applying for a new scheme, planning a campsite or events hire – diversification can take many forms. Almost all these options, however, require discussing and planning with other stakeholders, advisors, neighbours or experts. Planning different options, and understanding their costs all require live and collaborative mapping – features which Land App provides with unrivalled clarity and ease.
Empowering your Diversification Journey
At Land App, our mission is to empower land managers and farmers to plan, manage, and understand their land in all contexts. Whether you’re embarking on a new diversification project or seeking to optimise existing operations, our software is designed to help at every step of the way.
Looking to diversify your land or farming business? Sign up today, for free.
Want to learn more about how Land App can help your business? Get in touch with us at sales@thelandapp.com.
