East of England

Expanding networks to scale LENs delivery

The East of England accounts for 15% of England’s total land area, supporting diverse habitats as well as a growing urban population. However, the area is at increasing risk of flooding, sea level rise and water scarcity, with significant implications for business operations, livelihoods and wellbeing. These risks are particularly pertinent to the agricultural sector due to the importance of food production in this region. To address this, LENs has brought together a growing trading community of food manufacturers, water companies and a County Council to implement nature-based solutions (NbS) that are improving the local environment’s resilience.

Through LENs, funders have invested in measures to achieve carbon reduction and sequestration, flood risk mitigation, soil regeneration, biodiversity and habitat creation, water quality improvements and resilient supply chains.

LENs East of England has been running since 2021 and the community has grown to include 13 partners: Affinity Water, Anglian Water,, Cargill, Cefetra, Cereal Partners UK, Charles Jackson & Co, Chilton Grain, Frontier Agriculture, Nestlé Purina, Openfield Agriculture,, Suntory and West Northamptonshire Council. 

The 2025 trade saw £1.73 million invested in 61 different types of regenerative measures, with 155 farms involved across the region and more than 23,800 hectares worth of measures contracted. 

Since its establishment farmers have received £10.7 million pounds to deliver measures in the East of England.

The most popular regenerative practices in this region include:

Reduced cultivation systems (reduced/no till cultivations), which can retain soil surface organic matter, preserve good soil structure and fertility, resulting in soil conditions that improve water infiltration rates and reduce risk of loss of particulate P and sediment.

Grain legumes before a main cash crop with a reduced fertiliser rate, helping to fix nitrogen biologically, lower manufactured fertiliser demand and support more resilient rotations.

Cover crops, including multi-species autumn cover, which protect soils from erosion, reduce nutrient leaching and runoff, improve soil structure, and can help store and recycle nitrogen for the following crop. Cover crops also provide carbon sequestration and improve biodiversity.

Planting new native broadleaf woodland to: improve biodiversity; create habitats; sequester carbon; reduce run-off; improve infiltration; retain water in the landscape and improve flood mitigation.

Planting new cross-slope hedges, which can slow overland flow, reduce soil erosion, intercept sediment and nutrients, and create habitat corridors across farmed landscapes.

Farmer innovation funding, through open proposal routes for in-field trials and capital items, has also been a major feature of delivery in the region.

Precision nitrogen management in wheat, including sensor- and imagery-led approaches to map crop nitrogen status and guide more precise timing and targeting of nitrogen applications. These approaches help growers identify under- and over-fertilised areas, improve nitrogen use efficiency, reduce avoidable losses, and maintain yield and grain quality with lower synthetic input use.

Uniform cropping through targeted inputs, such as variable-rate seeding and split nitrogen applications, to improve crop consistency and input efficiency. By responding to within-field variability, these approaches aim to deliver steadier crop growth, better nutrient uptake and more consistent yields, while reducing the risk of losses to the environment.

Grazing livestock on wheat to reduce pesticide and fertiliser use. This approach uses sheep grazing in winter wheat to manage excess early growth, reduce disease and lodging risk, and lower the need for chemical inputs later in the season. It can also encourage tillering and support yield potential with fewer synthetic inputs.

Intercropping and legume-based innovations to reduce inorganic nitrogen use, including trials of legumes within arable rotations and mixed cropping systems designed to improve nutrient efficiency and crop resilience.

Measurement, Reporting and Verification

2026 is the third year of Measurement, Reporting and Verification for the East of England, looking at the impact of the 2025 trade. Led by the LENs MRV team, with ADAS and Agricarbon, it supported farmers to gather data that shows how farm practices are changing over time. The result is a stronger evidence base for tracking progress, understanding the impact of investments, and building a clearer picture of sustainability and resilience across the region. 

LENs MRV is built to be credible, practical and evidence-led. It combines farm-level data, independent verification and year-on-year tracking to give funders and farmers a robust picture of real on-farm impact, aligned with leading frameworks such as GHG Protocol and SBTi FLAG. Read the most recent LENs MRV report.