Farmers following nature friendly farming model to help make more money

A sold-out webinar organised by the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) attracted hundreds of people to show support for an approach to agriculture which is aimed at producing enough food, keeps farms financially afloat but also addresses problems such as the climate and biodiversity crises.

The event is part of a campaign which is building a consensus around a nature-friendly approach to farming for the future in order to put pressure on politicians and decision-makers to provide sufficient support for farmers who want to go down this route.

Martin Lines, CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), said: “The impact of climate change on food production is here and now, it’s already happening in my business and in the businesses of my farming colleagues. We can see it on the shelves when we go to buy food.

“More farmers are waking up and realising that farming within the capacity of their landscape is more profitable. We get free assets: sun, soil, rainwater. We should be maximising them, not trying to harm, pollute and cause problems.

“We wouldn’t have heard much about regenerative agriculture several years ago but there’s a groundswell of opinion right across the UK and farmers who often haven’t felt represented but are doing amazing things. There are voices saying it is challenging but there are thousands of farmers delivering solutions now. There’s growing interest around this consensus and in bringing people together to show how it works.”

Nature-friendly farming can help farmers by reducing their fossil-fuel based inputs such as fertilisers, which have recently rocketed in price due to events such as the war in Ukraine. It involves prioritising soil health, sustainable and nutritious food and making space for nature, particularly to address biodiversity losses such as the declines of pollinating insects.

However, the webinar acknowledged that debates around issues such as land use and food production have become polarised.

Webinar attendees also gave their views on three questions related to the future of farming. There was a consensus that “ecological security is crucial for food production, human wellbeing and prosperity”. A massive 91 per cent of those who answered the question strongly agreed with this statement.

Opinions were decidedly split over the importance of the role technology has to play in the future of agriculture. Just five per cent strongly agreed that technology “will have the most important role in helping the agricultural sector meet net zero”, with 19 per cent agreeing, 32 per cent neutral, 32 per cent disagreeing and 12 per cent strongly disagreeing.

Finally the meeting threw down a challenge to politicians as 66 per cent of those who answered strongly agreed that the current UK government “has overlooked the link between food and a resilient society”. A further 24 per cent agreed, while seven per cent were neutral and four per cent disagreed.