The first in the new series of Farmers Guardians #FarmingCAN campaign, Hannah Park and Emily Ashworth explore what the term sustainability means to farmers across the country.
This month marks the launch of the Farmers Guardian campaign #FarmingCAN for another year, which aims to highlight the pivotal role agriculture plays across wider society.
Over the next three months we will be looking at what being sustainable really means to farmers across the UK.
Over recent years, conversations around farming have changed. You cannot now speak of agriculture without mentioning some core phrases sustainable, carbon sequestration and net zero to name but a few.
According to a Princes Countryside Fund survey in 2021, 60 per cent of farmers have joined an environmental scheme, but 67 per cent think there is too much jargon used in conversations around the environment. A further 77 per cent revealed they did not know what the term natural capital meant.
Shifts in policy also create tension and uncertainty, as the farming world braces itself to say goodbye to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and enter a new era.
Many are trying to predict what the future of farm support might look like during the ongoing period of farm policy transition.
One thing which is clear is the shift towards a more environmental focus for the various new schemes emerging across the devolved nations, with different proposals set out by England, Wales and Scotland, respectively.
In England, applications for the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme are due to be rolled out in 2024, with a new stepping stone scheme, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) planned to bridge the gap between the BPS and ELM scheme.
Wales future agricultural support is set to be based on the Sustainable Farming Scheme, which will involve farm sustainability assessments with goals around improving the condition of soil, air, water and habitats. The scheme is set to open in January 2025.
In Scotland, direct support will continue to make up a substantial proportion of the new funding package for Scottish farmers and crofters, according to Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon.
In this months #FarmingCAN, we hear from various farmers about what sustainable means to them, while stripping back some of the terminology to help farmers navigate themselves through a new era of farming.
But for those at the heart of farming businesses who are being encouraged to change their practices, the idea of change and the language used in this new era of environmentally friendly farming could be daunting. So, what does the term sustainable actually mean to them?
survey
With farmers being pushed to become more environmentally friendly, and many brace themselves to lose the Basic Payment Scheme, businesses across the country are streamlining their enterprises, hoping that the new Sustainable Farming Initiative will help make up the gap.
But with farmers being pushed to change their practices, and the public seemingly concerned with protecting the environment, what is it that consumers really look for when buying? A recent Farmers Guardian survey revealed that sustainable packaging, price and food accreditation is at the top of the list.
Surprisingly, organic status came bottom of the list at only 7 per cent.
