Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the Land App webinar, a follow-up to last week's discussion on funding opportunities. Today's focus is a demo of Land App's tools designed to support your journey in securing funding for yourself or your clients.
Getting Started: Land App's Toolbox and Data Downloads
The webinar highlights two key types of tools available in Land App:
Toolboxes: Found within the three dots next to your plans, these contain a suite of functions that operate on your existing data.
Data Downloads: These are found under the 'new' button and allow you to start a project from scratch by bringing in new, relevant data.
These tools are categorized by the stage of your project: Getting Started, Planning, and Application. While many of the tools are free to use, some require a Standard or Professional subscription. A key feature is that many tools requiring an SBI (Single Business Identifier) are currently available only for farmers in England, as access to this data is still being negotiated in Scotland and Wales.
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier Workflow 🚜
The demo walked through an end-to-end process for creating a funding application, starting with a blank map and using several tools:
Importing RPA Data: The process begins by importing a farm's field parcel data using their SBI number, which provides a clear baseline map of land covers (e.g., grassland, arable).
Contextualizing the Farm: Instead of manually searching for data layers, the Data Layer Report tool was used to generate a quick, comprehensive report on the farm's boundaries, including designations (like flood zones, SSSIs), historic features (SHINE data), and existing schemes.
Land Use Planning: Using data downloads like E-Planner and Wetlandscapes, the presenter demonstrated how to identify optimal areas for specific interventions. For example, E-Planner suggests ideal locations for pollinator habitats or woodland planting, while Wetlandscapes identifies areas at risk of flooding.
Application Design: A new plan was created using the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier template. The presenter showed how to use the split tool to define specific areas within a field for options like "wet grassland" or "managed wetland" and how the tool automatically calculates the annual value of these options.
Validation: The Higher Tier Validator tool was run to automatically check for common errors in the application, such as incompatible land uses, incorrect boundary assignments, or overlapping features. The tool provides a "validated plan" and an email notification, significantly reducing the time spent on back-and-forth with the RPA.
Private Investment Planning 💰
The second part of the demo focused on a workflow for projects seeking private funding, such as Biodiversity Net Gain or carbon credits:
Creating a Baseline: A boundary was defined using Land Registry data. The UK Habitat Best Guess Baseline tool was then used to create a detailed map of existing habitat types by analyzing satellite data and other sources.
Agroforestry Design: The Agroforestry Designer tool was used to create a hypothetical planting plan. The tool generates a design with linear tree rows, considering factors like machinery width and tree orientation.
Reporting: The resulting agroforestry plan can be used to generate a report detailing the area covered, number of trees, and productive land lost. This type of data is crucial for presenting a clear, evidence-based proposal to potential funders.