Louise Impey

The viability of growing combinable chickpeas for the UK human consumption market is being investigated as the search for alternative break crops suited to the changing climate continues. With the support of two-year Adopt funding, two farmers have teamed up with pulse and grain retailer Hodmedod’s and crop scientists Niab to assess whether chickpeas can fit into rotations and deliver both yield and quality.

Regenerative agriculture is a proven route for arable farmers to break out of the high-input systems many of them are trapped in, claims a leading US researcher. Speaking at Groundswell 2026, Dr Jonathan Lundgren of the Ecdysis Foundation pointed out that lots of companies are making money at the farmer’s expense by selling them products that destroy rather than increase life on the farm. “The end result is that farmers earn just enough money to limp along,” he stressed.

Most of the changes introduced at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm, where this year’s Cereals event is taking place, will be familiar to farmers intent on developing a sustainable farming business. More grass in an increasingly flexible arable rotation, the adoption of reduced tillage wherever possible, the addition of livestock to the farming system and the strategic use of agri-environment schemes are all evident, along with scrutiny of costs.