Film: Farmer-led solutions to on farm plastic

While plastic mulches are effective in managing weeds, environmental problems associated with their use are becoming increasingly clear. Polyethylene mulch, a popular available options to growers, is cheaply available but quickly degrades into the soil and water courses. This video features Ben Coode Adams, one of five growers taking part in a field lab. He wants to find alternatives to the black plastic film that his fruit farm currently uses to suppress weeds under blackcurrant bushes. He is one of a group of small, medium and large-scale growers that have come together to find practical ways of reducing plastic use on their farms. The trial is comparing a range of commercially available non-degradable and biodegradable solutions, to evaluate their impact on weeds, yields, costs and other parameters. These include starch-based film mulches, woodchip, compost, cardboard, hay and grass clippings.