New! Expanding the Agri-Dictionary

There are a significant number of new phrases and terms now being used in agriculture. To help you navigate through everything from biodiversity net gain to soil biomes, we’re building a growing list of words and phrases that you may come across, along with clear and practical explanations.

Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience, this is a resource to support your understanding of emerging terminology in farming, land management, agri-environment schemes and beyond.

Take a look at the Agri-Dictionary and check back regularly as we continue to add new entries.

Get in touch if there’s a term or phrase you’d like us to include—your suggestions help keep the dictionary relevant and useful for everyone.

Actions (SFI)
The specific practices or land management steps farmers agree to undertake under an SFI agreement—for example, planting herbal leys, maintaining buffer strips, or assessing soil organic matter.

Additionality
A principle in environmental funding (e.g. biodiversity or carbon schemes) meaning that actions must go beyond what would have happened anyway, or what is legally required, to qualify for payments.

Agroecology
A farming approach that works with nature to build resilience, reduce reliance on external inputs, and support biodiversity. It integrates ecological principles into the design and management of agricultural systems.

Baseline Survey
A starting-point assessment used to measure environmental or ecological conditions—such as soil health, carbon levels, or biodiversity—against which future changes can be tracked, often required for agri-environment schemes.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
An approach to development and land management that leaves biodiversity in a better state than before. Under BNG, developers must assess the biodiversity value of a site before and after work and demonstrate a measurable improvement, often using a government-approved metric.

Bulk Density
The weight of soil in a given volume. High bulk density usually indicates compacted soil with poor structure and low porosity, while low bulk density is typical of healthy, well-structured soil.

Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
A measure of a soil’s ability to hold and exchange nutrient cations (positively charged ions like calcium, magnesium and potassium). Soils with high CEC are generally more fertile and better at retaining nutrients.

Compaction
When soil particles are pressed together, reducing pore space. This limits root growth, water infiltration and air exchange, leading to poor crop performance. Common in over-grazed or heavily trafficked fields.

Cover Crop
A crop grown not for harvest but to protect and enrich the soil. Cover crops reduce erosion, improve soil fertility, manage weeds and support biodiversity between main cropping seasons.

Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELM or ELMS)
The overarching framework for farm payments in England, replacing the Basic Payment Scheme. ELM consists of three parts: the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), Countryside Stewardship (CS) and Landscape Recovery.

Green Manure
A crop grown primarily to be incorporated back into the soil, adding organic matter and nutrients, improving structure and reducing the need for synthetic inputs.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
An environmentally sensitive approach to pest control that uses a combination of biological, cultural, physical and chemical tools to reduce harm to beneficial organisms and the wider environment.

Landscape Recovery
A long-term environmental land management option under the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) focused on large-scale projects that restore habitats, improve biodiversity and increase climate resilience.

Management Options (CS/ELM)
Prescribed activities or land-use practices that land managers can adopt under Countryside Stewardship or ELM schemes in return for payments—e.g. managing wildflower margins, restoring hedgerows, or creating wetland habitats.

Mycorrhizal Fungi
Beneficial fungi that form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, extending the root system and helping plants access water and nutrients (especially phosphorus) more efficiently.

Natural Capital
The world’s stock of natural resources, including soil, air, water and biodiversity. In farming, managing natural capital means looking after these resources to sustain productivity and long-term environmental health.

Public Money for Public Goods
A principle guiding post-Brexit UK farm policy, where government payments are made in exchange for environmental services such as clean air and water, flood protection, carbon storage and nature recovery.

Regenerative Agriculture
A system of farming principles that focuses on regenerating topsoil, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle and enhancing ecosystem services, often including practices like no-till, rotational grazing and composting.

Soil Carbon
Carbon stored in the soil as organic matter. Increasing soil carbon is a key strategy in regenerative agriculture for improving soil health and mitigating climate change.

Soil Biome
The community of microorganisms, fungi, bacteria and fauna that live within the soil. A healthy soil biome supports nutrient cycling, crop health and carbon storage, and is essential to sustainable farming.

Soil Organic Matter (SOM)
Decomposed plant and animal material in the soil. SOM improves soil structure, nutrient retention, water-holding capacity and is vital for healthy microbial activity and carbon sequestration.

Stacking (Environmental Credits)
The ability to layer multiple income streams from the same piece of land—such as carbon credits, biodiversity units, or nutrient neutrality payments—without double-counting the benefits or breaching scheme rules.

Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI)
A component of England’s Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs), the SFI pays farmers for actions that improve soil health, reduce inputs, support biodiversity and build resilience. It’s designed to be flexible and open to most land managers.