Permanent grasslands can be defined as “any land dominated by grasses or herbaceous forage that can be grazed/mown and has not been included in the crop rotation of a holding for five years or more”. They have the capacity to deliver multiple ecosystem services such as food production, supporting biodiversity, storing carbon, supplying clean water and providing valued landscapes. However, datasets and management surveys indicate that they are under threat from intensification, abandonment, urbanization and conversion to arable land. Permanent grasslands by their very nature can be challenging to manage and this was confirmed in coinnovation workshops with farmers and advisers who identified multiple factors and constraints to production such as stony soils, steep slopes, high/low temperatures, high/low rainfall, increased frequency of extreme weather events and short tenancies.
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