Dr Yusra Zireeni recently started work as a Researcher working with the Sustainable Farming Network (SFN). This is part of the School of Sustainable Food and Farming (SSFF) powered by Harper Adams University (HAU).
If you’ve ever wondered why some tools or practices take off quickly on farms while others barely move, you’re not alone. That question sits right at the heart of our new MRes (Master of Research) project.
Over the first couple of months, my supervisor Joseph Mhango, HAU, and I have reached an important first milestone: we’ve designed and launched our very first survey. It might sound simple, but this survey is the foundation for everything that follows. This survey is for SFN member networks who are working with carbon tools.
Mapping the Sustainable Farming Network
The survey helps us sketch out the big picture of the Sustainable Farming Network (SFN). Think of it as drawing the outline before adding the detail.
At this early stage, we’re focusing on who is connected to whom. That includes stewardship organisations1 and the farmers they work with. These early links give us what we call the “coarse structure” of the network – not perfect, but enough to see patterns starting to form.
Later on, we’ll sharpen that picture. By combining survey responses with the ADAS mapping data, we can build a much more detailed view of how the network actually works in practice.
Why carbon calculators?
Our main interest is innovation. More specifically, how new tools spread across farming communities.
For this project, we’re using carbon calculators as a real-world example of innovation. Some farmers use them regularly. Others don’t touch them at all. Why?
We’re exploring whether uptake is linked to where stewardship organisations sit within the wider network. Are well-connected stewards2 more effective at encouraging adoption? Or does geography matter more than connections?
Because we don’t have direct records of who shares information with whom, we’re taking a practical approach. We use administrative data3 and geographical proximity to estimate where knowledge is most likely to flow. In the real world, conversations happen because people are nearby, attend the same events, or work with the same advisers.
The questions we’re trying to answer
As the Sustainable Farming Network includes both stewards and farmers, we’re asking three simple but important questions:
- Do stewards with more concentrated connections encourage higher rates of innovation uptake?
- Do farmers and stewards who are geographically closer tend to make similar decisions about adopting new tools?
- Do stewards naturally form clusters that act like informal knowledge hubs, and could these benefit from more tailored support in the future?
To answer these, we’ll turn our survey results into a connections map. Technically, it’s a graph built using network analysis methods, but the idea is straightforward: it shows relationships, influence, and pathways for ideas to travel.
By analysing this map, we can spot patterns in how innovation spreads. Any trends we find will be considered alongside other real-world factors that influence decisions on farms.
What happens next?
Early in 2026, we’ll run a second survey. This will add more depth and strengthen the analysis. With more data, we can calculate meaningful network metrics and move from broad patterns to real insights.
This work is only possible because of the support and collaboration within the SFN and the wider AFCP community. The long-term aim is simple: to help stewardship organisations and advisers target their efforts more effectively, so good ideas reach the right people at the right time.
Final thoughts
Innovation doesn’t spread evenly, and it rarely spreads by accident. By understanding how the Sustainable Farming Network is structured, we can start to see why some ideas travel faster than others.
If we get this right, the findings could help AFCP members and partner charities focus their resources where they make the biggest difference – supporting farmers, strengthening connections, and speeding up the uptake of tools that genuinely work on the ground.
Project funded by AgriFood Charities Partnership (AFCP) members:
Clan Trust, The Morley Agricultural Foundation (TMAF), and the Perry Foundation
- Stewardship organisations are ‘the individuals who have the most direct and consistent contact with demonstration farmers, collating, curating and disseminating their experiences and findings. ↩︎
- Stewards are ‘the individuals who have the most direct and consistent contact with demonstration farmers, collating, curating and disseminating their experiences and findings. ↩︎
- Postcode fragments as indicators of administrative designation, for further classification purposes, for example ST for Stafford. ↩︎
