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What is Environmental Impact?
As the single largest use of land on the earths surface, agriculture has a profound and permanent effect on the environment. Fertilisers, pesticides, tillage, and agronomy all have impacts on the environment and making that impact as positive as possible will be vital if the earth is to be left fit for future generations.
The Challenge
Agricultural outputs must go up if we are to feed a growing world population, this increase has been driven by ever increasing reliance on fertiliser and pesticide inputs with large increases in both over the last 50 years. This heavy reliance on inputs has led to environmental problems with water pollution, CO2 emissions and bee population collapse. Finding ways to continue agricultural outputs with a lower environmental impact will be a key challenge over the coming years.
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The Solution
Levity ensure that the environment is at the heart of our product development, our research is helping us to dramatically reduce application rates of fertilisers by making them more efficient and environmentally stable. Our work on improving plant health is reducing the need for pesticides, and our work on quality and shelf life is reducing waste. Levity are fully committed to improving sustainability in agriculture.
Agriculture’s Environmental Impact
%
Worldwide Green House Gas Contribution
%
Agricultural Land is Used For Growing WASTED Crops
%
Worldwide Water Used
Total Land Cropped For Agriculture
- Netherlands 54%
- USA 44%
- South Africa 79%
What We Do
Levity use a unique combination of crop science and agronomy to find better ways to grow crops. Our scientists are researching how plant physiology can improve agricultural inputs to develop products that help farmers produce better yields.
Our Facilities
Levity have world class research facilities split between two sites at Myerscough Agricultural College and Lancaster University. Our team of scientists enjoy unrivalled access to formulation and development labs, testing labs, controlled environment growth rooms, experimental glasshouses, field test sites and a huge array of analytical equipment.
Lab to Land
What sets Levity apart is how we approach product development. We bridge academia and industry, taking the very latest in academic research and finding ways to put it to practical use to solve problems for farmers. Our products start on a farm where our expert agronomists take time to understand the challenges faced by growers, we then go back to the lab and apply crop science in research programmes. The products that emerge are tested around the world in rigorous independent trial programmes before we are finally ready to go back to the farm with a new product.
Lowering Rates
Fertiliser use has had a six-fold increase since the 1960s, and with fertiliser being responsible for the bulk of Agricultural CO2 emissions and the cause of much groundwater pollution. As only a third of nitrogen applied on farms ends up in crops, it is an obvious target for improving environmental impact. Levity’s research is helping deliver lower dose high efficacy fertilisers, improving environmental impact of farming whilst delivering better yields for farmers.
Environmental Stability
Many of the inputs applied by farmers get converted into less desirable forms in the environment, leading to loss of efficacy and poor uptake by crops. Levity’s scientists are developing ways to make fertilisers that are more stable, protecting the environment whilst improving performance on crops. Our research is helping replace environmentally damaging synthetic chelates, and to prevent leaching.
Improving Productivity
Moving towards higher yields from lower inputs is the best way to prevent further loss of forest and wilderness to agricultural production. Levity’s research is helping to develop ways to get the best out the land we already have, making sustainable intensification possible. Our work on reducing loss from stress, and in maximising quality lifts yields and reduces waste which all adds up to ‘more yield per field’.
The Levity Way…
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Reduction of Nitrogen Inputs Whilst Maintaining Yield
%
Reduction in Nitrogen Leaching & Volatilization
%
Reduction in Calcium Application Rate
Staff Thoughts
Agriculture needs to change to lower environmental impact practices, but farmers can only do that if they have better products available. The work farmers do is hugely important and is keeping the world fed, so inputs are doing a job. Our role at Levity and in the greater crop science community is to provide farmers with the tools to keep doing that job, but with better inputs that do not damage the environment. As an environmentalist I am always keen to ensure that any products Levity launch are better for the environment than those they displace and it’s great to be part of a team that is making a real difference.
Sustainable intensification of agriculture must balance the increased production needed to feed a growing population, with a reduction of inputs from declining reserves. This challenge can only be met by dramatically improving the inputs farmers have available to grow their crops. Levity’s research is aimed at making every drop of input work harder so that farmers can reduce inputs and increase yields on farm. This in turn will reduce environmental impact.