Salt water threat to our farmlands

A major new project is under way looking at the salt water threat to prime agricultural land in South Lincolnshire.

With around 12 per cent of the UK’s food being grown or processed in the county, the importance of its agricultural role can’t be understated.
Project Groundwater is joining with the University of Lincoln to help protect the land of the fens.
In South Lincolnshire, the Fens are under threat from salinisation of the soil and water supply.
Salts provide essential nutrients, but too much can be toxic and will degrade the soil quality leading to reductions in growth rate or even crop failure.
Current knowledge of groundwater systems in the Fenlands is limited and more understanding is needed.
Working with the university, the county council’s Project Groundwater team will collect data on salt levels in the Fens and use software to understand potential effects in the future.
“Just as too much salt in your diet is bad for you, too much salt in the soil is bad for crops,” said Brett Rycroft-Jones, one of the programme coordinators.
In Lincolnshire, the groundwater in the aquifer has been at a steady level, which keeps the sea water at bay. But groundwater is drying up and salt water is encroaching to fill the gap.
The work will also provide evidence for economic effects for the area which relies so heavily on agriculture.
The project is funded by the government as part of a £200m flood and coastal programme.