Which SFI Template to use?

Following Defra’s latest update on the Sustainable Farm Incentive, Land App has released a second Sustainable Farm Incentive template (SFI 2023) to allow you to easily plan and map the new Actions under the SFI scheme.

Before proceeding with this guidance, please be aware of which SFI Scheme you are mapping for, as this will affect which template you choose:

SFI22: If you are involved in an SFI Pilot, or the SFI 22 you will need to use the "Sustainable Farm Incentive 2022" template.
SFI23: From August 2023, if you are looking to apply for the Sustainable Farm Incentive, but are not part of a pilot, you should use the "Sustainable Farm Incentive 2023" template.

The two templates have a different list of "actions" available. To learn more, please visit the .GOV.UK Website here.

Step-by-step guide to building your SFI Plan

Firstly create a new plan by using the New, Use template,

Select the correct SFI template for your use case (see guidance above if unsure).

Select Import from Rural Payments or another import method.

Input the 9-digit SBI number, select the dataset (Land Covers and Hedges are recommended) and click on next.

Name your plan and click on finish.

Now your plan has been created you can start to assign SFI actions to each field parcel, to do so select a feature on the map or multiselect and the right hand panel will appear. To assign a use, select Change.

From the list, you can expand categories or search by action code or action name (e.g. "SAM1" or "Soil" or "Assess soil, test soil organic matter and produce a soil management plan"

You can add second options using the duplicate tool. Please see this guide.

To add buffers to a feature you can use our buffer tool, please see these guide.

To add capital items select your feature on the project (this will ensure your drawn features are contained withing the correct land parcel), go to draw select the relevant draw tool such as point or line.

Add your features on the project and then select Finish.

With your drawn feature or features selected you can assign their use from the right hand panel.

Should you need to split or merge features please see the below guidance.

Available actions under SFI 2023:

Category	Code	Action Label
Additional payments	ACL1	Additional common land payment
Actions for farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land	AHL1	Pollen and nectar flower mix
Actions for farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land	AHL2	Winter bird food on arable and horticultural land
Actions for farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land	AHL3	Grassy field corners and blocks
Actions for buffer strips	AHL4	4m to 12m grass buffer strip on arable and horticultural land
Actions for hedgerows	HRW1	Assess and record hedgerow condition
Actions for hedgerows	HRW2	Manage hedgerows
Actions for hedgerows	HRW3	Maintain or establish hedgerow trees
Actions for farmland wildlife on improved grassland	IGL1	Take improved grassland field corners or blocks out of management
Actions for farmland wildlife on improved grassland	IGL2	Winter bird food on improved grassland
Actions for farmland wildlife on improved grassland	IGL3	4m to 12m grass buffer strip on improved grassland
Actions for integrated pest management	IPM1	Assess integrated pest management and produce a plan (this action applies to an SFI agreement, rather than a specific area of land (an ‘agreement level SFI action’)
Actions for integrated pest management	IPM2	Flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips
Actions for integrated pest management	IPM3	Companion crop on arable and horticultural land
Actions for integrated pest management	IPM4	No use of insecticide on arable crops and permanent crops
Actions for low input grassland	LIG1	Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (outside SDAs)
Actions for low input grassland	LIG2	Manage grassland with very low nutrient inputs (SDAs)
Actions for moorland	MOR1	Assess moorland and produce a written record
Actions for nutrient management	NUM1	Assess nutrient management and produce a review report (agreement level SFI action)
Actions for nutrient management	NUM2	Legumes on improved grassland
Actions for nutrient management	NUM3	Legume fallow
Actions for soils	SAM1	Assess soil, test soil organic matter and produce a soil management plan
Actions for soils	SAM2	Multi-species winter cover crops
Actions for soils	SAM3	Herbal leys
Additional payments	SMP1	SFI management payment