What has been achieved since our Scale of Need report made its stark warning to the Treasury about the levels of funding required by the sector? What can butterflies tell us about the health of a hedge? How do you graze a water meadow? And what’s next for the future of farming?
These questions and many more will be debated at Groundswell, with input from leading experts and those on the frontline of the nature-friendly farming.
The Scale of Need, developed by The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB and National Trust, remains clear that the level of support required for nature-friendly farming must be met if the Government are to achieve their legally binding nature targets. With several iterations since 2017, it continues to be a powerful reminder of the need to support farmers in this transition – but what progress has been achieved on the ground so far?
Our policy panel at Groundswell will cast a critical eye over the status quo, assessing progress against the Government’s Land Use Framework and the 25-Year Farming Road Map and debating the future direction of the vital Environmental Land Management schemes.
This session is just one of the lively discussions set to take place at The Wildlife Trusts’ Farming with Nature stage.
- Discover how collaborative working through farm clusters is producing mighty results for nature, with one cluster alone uniting 200 landowners on a river catchment restoration project and another helping to protect priority species like curlew.
- Hear how we could regulate supply chains so they play fair with farmers – from how European countries are ensuring supermarkets change their buying behaviour, to how the UK could become a leader in sustainable public purchasing if it were to adopt similar models.
- Learn how farmers are successfully restoring floodplains, mapping and grazing the land, and establishing water tables for the benefit of food production, nature and climate.
- Learn how the food and farming industries can play a key role in reducing water pollution across our river systems. As we’ll hear from experts and farmers alike, sewage is not the whole picture.
- Take part in a lively debate on the future of dairy farming and hear how farmers are already doing things differently.
The Wildlife Trusts have worked in partnership with the farming community for decades, advising on nature-friendly practices which improve resilience and cut costs, whilst also advocating for increased funding from both private and public sources to bolster these efforts.
As landowners, The Wildlife Trusts also collectively manage nearly 100,000 hectares, including upland and lowland farms. The Farming with Nature stage brings together these insights, and insider knowledge, for what promises to be a popular programme at Groundswell 2026.
As Vicki Hird, strategic lead on agriculture at The Wildlife Trusts, says:
“There has never been a more critical time to get our farming and food industries right. Groundswell gives us all the opportunity to learn from each other and to re-energise, at a time when everything – our food security, our climate, our future health and economy – needs fixing. Nature is the beating heart of farming, and so we need to fix policies and practice across the whole supply chain to ensure future food resilience.”