Liz Bowles
Liz is the Associate Director for Farming and Land Use at the Soil Association and is responsible for leading and managing the Soil Associations work with farmers throughout the UK in conjunction with the Producer Support Team. The Producer Support Team work includes supporting Soil Association licensees, managing the Innovative Farmers Programme, implementation of development plans for organic agriculture in the UK and supporting organic supply chain development.
Liz directs the Innovative Farmers Programme managed by the Soil Association which puts farmers in the driving seat of on farm research and is pioneering farmer led trials on farm. This programme will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2022, and will be showcasing the global impact of the over 100 field labs carried out to date.
Liz has a wealth of experience of agriculture both in the UK and internationally. She has worked in the sector for over 30 years and brings a practical approach combined with scientific and sector knowledge to her role in the Soil Association.
As a Nuffield scholar, her research involved exploring cooperation in the red meat sector and was a precursor to her joining EFFP where she worked on the development of supply chain collaboration in England.
Liz is a Director of the Farm Carbon Cutting Toolkit, a farmer-controlled business that supports farmers in understanding how to cut their emissions and sequester carbon on farms. She also advises Hectare, an online trading platform for farmers selling livestock and grain.
In her spare time Liz manages one of the largest pedigree flocks of Shropshire sheep in the UK
This programme puts farmers in the driving seat of innovative on farm research. A farmer herself, she is lucky enough to farm on the slopes of the Exe Valley and combines this with being a Council Member of the Breed Society.