Next Wednesday, 1st November, I am looking forward to taking part in a panel discussion about ‘The way forward for farming and nature in Wales’ at the Wales Real Food and Farming Conference 2023. It presents me with a great opportunity to publicise a report which was written with the Nature-Friendly Farming Network and published in June this year: Farming at the Sweet Spot – how farming with nature can make you happier, healthier and wealthier. The report shows that farming at maximum sustainable output, that is, without fertilisers and other inputs, enables a farm’s profitability whilst benefiting nature.
Wales Real Food and Farming Conference, which has been going for five years, is an independent farming conference arranged by a team from a range of organisations in the food, farming and other sectors and runs over two days. This year’s conference will take place on 1st-3rd November at Llysfasi < Coleg Cambria, Ruthin, one of Wales’ leading centres of land-based education. Inspired by the Oxford Real Farming Conference, the aim is to open conversations about the future of food in Wales, mapping out a sustainable 21st-century food system and how to begin to build it.
Opening the first day will be Sarah Dickins, organic farmer and former BBC economics correspondent, now working with Wales Net Zero 2035, and there is a packed programme of activities organised for the two days. Click on this link for more information and to book tickets Cynhadledd 2023 Conference – CGFFfC 2022 WRFFC
The Wildlife Trusts are committed to reversing nature declines in the UK and effectively managing 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. We will not put nature in recovery by continuing business as usual; we need to support and reward farmers for nature’s recovery. However, to achieve this, we need a radical transformation of our food and farming systems, including a fundamental shift in our understanding of farming and nature.
Our food system is underpinned by nature. Food production systems require a diverse range of plants, animals, bacteria and fungi, both for the direct supply of food and to sustain the underlying ecosystem processes that make agriculture possible – from water supply to soil fertility, pollination and natural pest control. But our food system is broken. The UK Food Security Report 2021 acknowledges that climate change and the biodiversity crisis are the two greatest threats to long-term food security in the UK.
Transformation of farming and food systems is fundamental to nature’s recovery, climate adaptation, and food security. Farm intensification is often seen as a path to greater profitability, but in reality, it drives further nature decline and means degraded habitats, poor soils, and declines in beneficial insect populations intensify the problems created by climate change.
In Wales, 90% of the land is used for agriculture, and therefore, farming has a critical role in securing nature and climate recovery but requires a system change. The Wildlife Trusts believe there must be a fundamental shift away from intensive agricultural practices towards an approach that sees farming and the environment as mutually beneficial and interdependent.
Agriculture policy shapes our countryside; for decades, this has often been at the expense of wildlife and natural habitats. Years of agri-environment and stewardship schemes have failed to stem the decline of nature, with 1 in 6 species in Wales now facing extinction. The Wildlife Trusts are working with farmers and the Welsh Government to change this. Wildlife recovery in Wales depends on a farming policy that enables farmers to create and restore a thriving natural environment alongside domestic sustainable food production.
The Wildlife Trusts will be working with farmers and businesses to achieve a just transition for the agricultural sector. We strongly advocate that any changes in farming systems must not be done to farmers but with farmers. Their expertise, dedication, experience and ownership of place will be vital to shaping a sustainable future.
We need to put the health of our environment at the heart of our future sustainable land management policy. This means changing the current system and designing a new farming and land management scheme that is based on environmental outcomes and public goods.
The way forward for farming and nature in Wales is through the Sustainable Farming Scheme, which is coming online in January 2025. A key scheme element is the Collaborative tier, where farmers will be encouraged and paid to work together across the landscape. This is where we believe we will get the biggest benefit for nature. This could be riparian woodlands alongside a river passing through several farms, increased wildlife habitat (the 10% target) that is connected across farms, joint effort on restoring peatlands, restoring wetlands at the landscape scale etc.
Cross-sector partnerships present exciting opportunities. The Wildlife Trusts wants to restore nature at scale, thereby tackling both the climate and nature crises whilst inspiring local communities and policymakers. Agriculture has a key role in maintaining the landscape of Wales whilst supporting rural community cohesion, safeguarding Wales’ extensive natural resources and providing additional cultural and wellbeing benefits.
Joining me on the panel will be Huw Foulkes, Nature-Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) Cymru; Geraint Jones, Farming Connect; and Rhian Pierce, RSPB Cymru. The discussion will be chaired by Carwyn Graves from Tir Glas (University of Wales Trinity Saint David).