Health check for England's soil

As the government publishes its strategy on how to keep England's soils healthy, the BBC's environment correspondent Sarah Mukherjee has been to talk to one farmer in the Fens.

Population growth, transport and housing are threatening the soil

There is something magical about the quality of light at this time of year. The pale golden light and long shadows of dawn give the first touches of frost on reddening trees an almost magical quality.

And here in the Fens, autumn mornings can be crystal clear - like today.

The pale blue sky is reflected a hundred times in the various watercourses that drain the dark, rich soil that perfumes the air in this part of the world with a slightly acidic tang.

The peat lands have attracted farmers since before the Romans; but it was they, empire builders and engineers, who started to pump water out, revealing the fertile soil beneath.

Since then, throughout the ages people have found ever more efficient ways of taking the water away, leaving the Cambridgeshire Fens as one of the foremost areas of food production in the country.

But it is not without its problems. In places where it is degraded, the peaty soil is turning to dust, exposing the heavy clay beneath that has built up over thousands of years.

Carbon stores

That is certainly not the case on Phil Bradshaw's 300-acre farm, where he grows cereals, sugar beet and potatoes.

"I share some equipment with other farming colleagues that uses GPS technology to plot where the soil needs fertilising," he said.

We have a growing population which needs feeding, and that cannot be done with poor soil Phil Bradshaw, farmer

"But I still go out there with a spade to check the consistency and of the soil. You still have to get on your hands and knees and look at it."

It may seem bizarre to suggest there is such a thing as "healthy" and "unhealthy" soil.

But experts say the nutrients and structures found in good, rich soil not only produce strong crops, but are effective stores of carbon, and can reduce the risk of flooding by absorbing rain and river water.

However, according to the government's report we are still losing more than two million tonnes of topsoil a year across the UK to water and wind erosion.

Behind the times

Our soils hold within them more carbon than all the forests in Western Europe; but we have little understanding of how climate change could affect this.

Rich soil produces good crops and is an effective store of carbon

We bury good soil under tonnes of concrete for houses, roads and railways.

There is a suggestion in this document that the government may allow greater emphasis on the productive value of soil when planning applications are considered.

Phil Bradshaw thinks that on the whole, the report is fairly balanced, recognising the work that farmers have done in the last few years to maintain fertility.

"We work very hard at it," he said. "We have a growing population which needs feeding, and that cannot be done with poor soil."

Other farmers say that while they are pleased the government is taking the issue seriously, the report is behind the times, and the agricultural community has in recent years spent much effort regenerating the condition of the soils it ploughs and tends.