Affinity Water is the headline sponsor for the seventh consecutive year at Groundswell 2024, emphasising the critical connection between healthy soils and water quality.

Soils farmed in a regenerative way can naturally hold more water, filter water, and provide a rich habitat for soil life to cycle nutrients for crop production.

Danny Coffey, catchment manager at Affinity Water said:

“We fully support regenerative agriculture as a sustainable, carbon-friendly method to treat water at the source, rather than relying on energy-intensive engineered solutions.”

“We’ve been funding and trialling cover crops in our catchments for many years now, with a particular focus on reducing nitrate leaching and groundwater protection. Using companion crops in oilseed rape, our data suggests this can mitigate herbicide losses which can risk water treatment processes and we have promising results for companion species reducing cabbage stem flea beetle damage.”

“It is important to consider both crops and water when we trial new measures and we look forward to sharing the latest findings at this year’s Groundswell.”

Throughout Groundswell, which takes place on 26th and 27th June, Affinity Water will be hosting the rainfall simulator demonstrations on their stand. This simulator dramatically shows the effects of two inches of intense rainfall on different soil types under various management practices, including no-till and cultivated soils, with and without cover crops, and under permanent pasture.

As the UK’s largest clean water-only company which supplies around 950 million litres of water daily to over 3.89 million people, Affinity Water said observing the difference in water infiltration from regenerative soils was a pivotal moment in its journey to enhance soil health across priority catchments to safeguard public water supplies.

Since 2020, they have funded over 7,000 hectares of cover and companion crops to fix nutrients and improve soil health. The catchment management team supports other regenerative practices such as intercropping and no-till farming, learning alongside farmers about the benefits of these methods.

At Groundswell this year, the Affinity Water biodiversity team will also be at their stand to showcase how they fund community groups and businesses to tackle invasive species and promote their new community-award grant, 'Rooting for Wildlife.' The scheme, piloted across the Lee catchment, enables local groups, including farmers, to implement biodiversity projects.

Additionally, the Affinity Water River Restoration team focuses on globally rare chalk streams in their supply area, working on projects like treeworks, livestock fencing, in-channel habitat enhancement, and more.

Entering its eighth year, Groundswell provides a forum for anyone interested in food production or the environment to learn about conservation agriculture or regenerative systems. The two-day event features talks, forums, and demonstrations from leading experts in soil health, experienced farmers, agricultural policy experts, and AgTech innovators.

Delegates are invited to visit the Affinity Water stand to engage with their catchment team and learn more about their catchment management funding schemes and ongoing field trials.

The stand will host representatives from Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust, University of Reading and Affinity Water’s biodiversity and river restoration teams.

Click here for more information about Groundswell 2024