Training and advice / skills development
A facilitation fund redesign could enable farmers to work collaboratively, sharing knowledge, experiences, equipment, etc. This could be enhanced by provision of a comprehensive package of digital and in-person resources to support development of ever-increasing skills requirements.
A nationally funded advisory service using local independent trusted advisers, supported by a framework of CPD and professional qualifications, could be created to support every farmer with whole-farm planning and monitoring. This would equate to 5% of the Defra farming budget.
Farming careers need promotion throughout the school system and college course development should be supported by farmers to ensure gap filling of basic knowledge and to meet future farming needs.
Policy
Clarity of Government long term vision is needed beyond government cycles and a clear impact statement on food security to enable long-term farm business planning. Government should implement recommendations from National Food Strategy, Dan Corry review of regulation and FFCC Food Manifesto.
Localism should be promoted, where economic, social and environmental benefits can be created and retained, including infrastructure to support local procurement in the public sector. Government must ensure fairness in trade agreements and supply chains.
Corporations need incentive/regulation in private markets to focus on multiple benefits, not single metrics. Stability and clarity are required for private markets to be successful, led centrally by the government
Protected landscape guidelines need updating to ensure actions are taken for climate resilience/ adaptation, rather than preservation of non-resilient landscapes, to better enable achievement of 30×30 targets
Incentives
The true cost of different production systems’ environmental impact needs to be recognised through regulation, incentives and taxation. These should be introduced progressively and with a transition fund
A single national Farming and Nature Wealth Fund could be created that pools private and public funding and creates a clear structure to access finance for business transition/delivery of nature outcomes, expanding on the idea of the Nature Restoration Fund, along with the addition of new finance solutions, eg Dean Organic Fund/ Gloucestershire Green Investment Portfolio.
Spatial targeting
Suitable locations should be established locally as per the design principles, with Local Convenors situated in National Character Areas who could enable effective join up of local projects and efficient use of resources to achieve local and national priorities (Defra Local Delivery T&T).
Data
Defra T&T 022 data pathway model could support monitoring of changing land use (NEIRF – Gloucestershire Green Investment Portfolio). At a farm-level, combining environmental data with farm practice, cropping and yield mapping will help land use decision making and could feed into improved local planning.
Access to high resolution Land Cover with 3m resolution data would significantly improve resolution and accuracy of the ALC. Climate resilience of soils needs to be factored into the ALC grading to enable consideration of risks from rainfall, temperature, flooding, wind exposure within likely climate scenarios.
FWAG SW services/projects
- Technical teams are producing resources to support members with specialist areas of knowledge through giving practical advice
- We plan to create a map of current collaborative groups per county
- Our Kingfisher Award Scheme provides experiences to support local primary schools to incorporate links between food, farming and ecology in their curriculum.