Evaluation is a core part of the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) project: essential for assessing delivery of objectives and benefits.
Diffuse pollution is a complex issue and there is significant uncertainty associated with measuring the benefits of mitigation. To address this, our approach draws on data and information from a range of sources to develop the overall evidence for the benefits of CSF. These include:
- farmer engagement
- farmer awareness and attitude
- uptake of measures to control pollution
- pollutant losses and water quality
The joint Environment Agency and Natural England evaluation of the first 6 years of CSF shows that:
- CSF advice has been delivered to almost 13,000 holdings covering an area of 1.94m hectares;
- 57% of holdings have implemented over 62% of the specific recommendations made to reduce water pollution. In total 218,596 recommendations were made;
- monitored pollutant levels have reduced by up to 30%
Since publication of the first report in June 2011, further evidence for the benefits of CSF has come from:
- high-level assessment showing that CSF delivers a range of benefits that go well beyond the primary objective of improving water quality – these include soil quality, air quality, flood risk, climate regulation and water supply
- monitoring of the River Dove (Peak District) which is providing early signs of ecological improvements (freshwater macro-invertebrates) following CSF delivery