Data-first BNG and run-off metrics for the boundary zones where farmland meets infrastructure. No sensors. No hardware. Just evidence that works.
The boundary between farms and airports, roads, railways and development sites is where environmental pressures concentrate and where farmers lack affordable tools to respond.
Hardstanding accelerates water flow onto adjacent farmland, carrying pollutants into watercourses and eroding topsoil. Inputs are wasted; water quality declines.
HydrologyInfrastructure corridors sever ecological connectivity. Pollinator routes, mammal pathways, and bird nesting corridors are disrupted at boundary edges.
BiodiversityMandatory 10% BNG, LNRS alignment, nutrient neutrality, and Net Zero create overlapping demands that farmers lack affordable tools to evidence.
PolicyEHI starts with freely available environmental, ecological, and geospatial datasets that already exist at national scale and builds a detailed picture of farm edge habitats without deploying any new equipment.
Assemble multiple freely available datasets for the farm and its surrounding landscape
Build a detailed picture of habitat type, condition, and environmental function at edge zones
Targeted field walks with the farmer where local knowledge adds most value
BNG baseline, uplift scenarios, and environmental function assessment, audit-ready
Why data-first matters: No new hardware means any farmer can replicate the methodology. Evidence is generated from freely available datasets and farmer knowledge, with targeted validation where it matters most. The adoption playbook makes this nationally scalable.
A two-farm trial across two English counties, with independent scientific validation and a registered ADOPT facilitator ensuring the project delivers for Defra.
A working farm in the South East of England. The farmer leads the project, contributes local knowledge, and validates the methodology through ground-truth walks on their land.
A second farm in a neighbouring county with different landscape and infrastructure context. Testing across two sites proves the methodology works beyond a single farm type.
An independent agricultural research organisation. Provides the registered ADOPT facilitator, scientific oversight, and ecological field expertise to validate the methodology.
Two farms, two counties: The ADOPT competition requires collaboration with at least one other UK farmer. Testing across two counties with different soil types, landscape contexts, and infrastructure pressures demonstrates the methodology works at scale.
£50,000–£100,000 at up to 80% funding from Defra/Innovate UK. The farmer leads the application; RiDraw provides the EHI methodology; an independent research partner provides facilitation and scientific validation.
Assemble datasets for both trial farms. Map edge zones where farmland meets infrastructure. Initial farm walks with both farmers to ground-truth boundaries and capture local knowledge.
Build habitat and environmental function assessments for edge zones. Compare against field observations. Iterate with farmer input across both sites.
Present validated assessments to farmers, advisors, and local authority BNG officers. Test intervention scenarios. Generate evidence packs. Host on-farm demonstration events.
Write open-access adoption playbook. Disseminate via on-farm demonstrations, national webinar, and Defra-published case study. Every farmer gets a step-by-step guide to replicate the methodology.
What the farmer gets: Up to 80% funded project. BNG baseline and uplift assessment. Environmental function evidence. Evidence pack for grant applications, planning submissions, or SFI claims. Published case study. Knowledge exchange events sharing your experience with other farmers.
Every output is designed to serve multiple purposes: BNG compliance, LNRS submissions, SFI claims, planning applications, and grant reporting.
Spatial layer showing all farm-infrastructure boundary zones with type classification, area measurement, and current condition assessment.
SpatialHabitat condition assessment using recognised biodiversity metrics. Modelled uplift from intervention scenarios including hedgerow planting, buffer widening, and wetland creation.
BiodiversityWater management, soil protection, and ecological connectivity assessment at edge zones under current and improved scenarios.
EnvironmentOpen-access, step-by-step guide enabling any farmer to replicate the methodology using freely available data. Includes interpretation guidance, cost breakdown, and template evidence pack.
ReplicationThe whole point of ADOPT is adoption. Every output is designed so the next farmer can use it without needing us in the room.
Two open-day events across both trial counties. Farmers see the methodology in action on real land, ask questions, and walk the edges themselves.
Farmer-to-FarmerNational reach through our research partner's established farmer and advisor network. Methodology, results, and how to get started on your own farm.
National ReachPublished, open-access guide. Every step documented so any farmer in England can replicate the approach using the same freely available data.
Open AccessEHI outputs align with every major UK land and environmental policy framework.
Mandatory 10% BNG. EHI provides the farm-scale evidence methodology for compliance.
BNGMaps farm edge zones against Local Nature Recovery Strategy spatial priorities. Demonstrates farm-level contribution.
Nature RecoveryOutputs align with SFI actions on hedgerows, water-body buffers, and low-input grassland. Evidence for payment claims.
Farm PaymentsAligns with county-level Local Nature Recovery Strategies covering habitat restoration, grassland, heathland, and woodland priorities.
LocalFarming in Protected Landscapes funding. EHI playbook directly supports FiPL applications for farms within or adjacent to National Landscapes.
Protected LandscapeInfrastructure-adjacent farms can evidence contribution to developer BNG requirements, including airport expansions and major transport projects.
InfrastructureWe are building a two-farm ADOPT trial in the South East of England, funded at up to 80% by Defra and Innovate UK. No hardware to install. Just data, field walks, and an adoption playbook that helps every farmer in England.
Get in touch