Soil health pilot study in England: Outcomes from an on-farm earthworm survey

Summary

This pilot study mobilised over 1300 hectares of English farmland for farmer-led earthworm surveys as a practical, cost-effective approach to national soil health monitoring. Results demonstrated that tillage significantly suppressed earthworm populations, with 42% of fields showing ecological imbalance. Farmer participation was high with excellent satisfaction scores, and the study identifies potential to further streamline the protocol to reduce fieldwork costs to approximately £1.48 ha⁻¹ whilst supporting England's sustainable soils policy targets by 2030.

UK applicability

These findings are directly applicable to United Kingdom soil health policy and farm management, given that the pilot was conducted on English farmland in spring 2018. The study provides an evidence-based, farmer-participatory monitoring protocol suitable for national-scale soil health assessment and identifies practical, cost-effective approaches to engage farmers in sustainable soil management across the 4.7 million hectares of cultivated land in England.

Key measures

Earthworm abundance and presence by ecological group (epigeic, endogeic, anecic) per soil pit observation (20 × 20 × 20 cm); field-level spatial assessment (10 pits per field); farmer participation rates; participant satisfaction and trust scores; cost per hectare for fieldwork; correlation between tillage intensity and earthworm populations

Outcomes reported

The study assessed earthworm populations across >1300 hectares of English farmland using a farmer-led protocol, stratifying results by ecological group presence and field-level spatial distribution. Key findings included that 42% of fields showed signs of over-working (absence or rarity of epigeic and/or anecic earthworms), and that tillage significantly suppressed earthworm populations independent of organic matter management.

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