Join the Soil Association and Affinity Water at Woodoaks Farm, the Soil Association Land Trust’s flagship site, for a focused farm walk exploring how agroforestry can support catchment scale water quality improvements, with the opportunity to design and join a new research project. This event will bring together farmers, advisers, water companies, and river catchment partners to see first hand how trees can be integrated into productive farming systems to reduce runoff, enhance soil structure, and protect local waterways. You can also shape the direction of new farmer-led trials on the topic.
The morning will feature a guided farm walk led by Josiah Judson, Senior Farm Advisor at the Soil Association. Josiah recently completed his PhD and is the lead author of a 2025 peer reviewed study examining how alley width and slope position influence soil carbon storage, nutrient dynamics, and hydrology in mature Silvoarable systems. We will also we joined by Ben Raskin, Soil Association's Head of Agroforestry.
In the afternoon we will host a practical workshop. We want to launch new, farmer-led trials focusing on how agroforestry can help water management on farms. The workshop will focus on your questions and any ideas you might want to explore further on your farm. We will be working with researchers from Reading University, agroforestry experts from the Soil Association and the Innovative Farmers on-farm research team to help answer your questions, discuss your ideas for new research, and co-design a new Innovative Farmers field lab. We’re also keen to recruit farmers to take part in a field lab based on the outcomes of this workshop.
This event will also serve as the official launch of the Affinity Water × Soil Association partnership, showcasing how joined up approaches can drive landscape scale improvements in soil health and water resilience.
Affinity Water is the UK’s largest water‑only supply company, providing on average around 969 million litres of high‑quality drinking water every day to more than 3.9 million people across the South East of England. Their mission is to provide sustainable, high-quality drinking water and work together with their community to safeguard the local environment now and in the future. Affinity Water are a leading supporter of regenerative agriculture – understanding the intrinsic link between soil health and water health, and this year will be their ninth time as a headline sponsor of the Groundswell regenerative farming festival. Their catchment management team supports farmers adopt regenerative farming practices such as agroforestry across priority catchments, and they are keen to realise the full benefits from farming in this way for water quality, water resources, soil health and the environment.
9.30am-10am - Arrival, registration and refreshments
10.00am - Presentations
11.00am - Farm walk
12.30pm - Lunch
1.30pm - Innovative Farmers - Farmer-led research workshop
3.00pm - Finish
We think this event will be especially interesting to Farmers, Farm Advisers, River Trusts and Water Companies.
We would like to thank Woodoaks Farm for hosting the event.
Woodoaks Farm lies just to the west of London at Maple Cross in Hertfordshire. It extends to just over 300 acres and includes arable and pastureland and around 75 acres of semi-natural woodland.
The farm has been in the Findlay Family since the 1920’s and in 2020 Sally Findlay donated Woodoaks to the Soil Association Land Trust to ensure it will be farmed sustainably into the future; producing good food, improving wildlife and continuing to welcome people. As the next custodians of the land, we are transitioning to become fully organic, working a regenerative farming system that will support a climate friendly future with rich biodiversity and a vibrant and dynamic sustainable food hub.
Nestled in the heart of Woodoaks Farm lies the 16th Century Grade II listed Black Barn – a heritage-rich building with the potential to create a community hub that reconnects people with food, farming and nature.
Innovative Farmers is a not for profit network giving farmers research support and funding on their own terms. Through trialling, testing and hands-on research, we help farmers find lasting solutions to practical problems. The network is led by the Soil Association and supported by funders including the King Charles Charitable Fund.
