In this post, we’ll share details of the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and links for you to learn more.
Heavy rainfall has a devastating and long-term impact on farming. This disruption not only affects livelihoods but also has wider implications for food security and the economy too. We're introducing temporary adjustments and easements within the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), the SFI Pilot, Countryside Stewardship (CS) and Environmental Stewardship (ES) to support farmers and land managers dealing with the impacts of severe weather in England.
We recently held a webinar for livestock and grassland farmers in England. In the webinar, we gave an overview of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer and how the scheme supports both productivity and the environment. We also covered the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway and the grants on offer through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. In this post, we summarise what we covered and include the recording and links for you to learn more.
On 15 January, we’ll open another round of the Large R&D Partnerships competition. Part of the Farming Innovation Programme, this competition offers a share of £7.8 million to farmers, growers and foresters in England to take forward ideas that improve productivity, sustainability, resilience and move the sector towards net zero. Together with our delivery partners Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), we published the competition guidance today.
On 13 October, we held a webinar on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for organic farmers and growers in partnership with the English Organic Forum. In this post, you'll find a link to a recording of the webinar.
On Wednesday 6 September, we held a webinar for farmers to learn more about the funding available in England. In this post, you can watch a recording of the session.
In this film, farmers from the Aqualate Mere catchment share their experiences of taking part in Tests and Trials. This test created a land management plan and worked to set priorities for the catchment, incorporating biodiversity, water quality and carbon sequestration.
Offered alongside better advice and fairer, more effective regulation, the Slurry Infrastructure grant is designed to help livestock farmers make better use of their slurries to meet crop need and cut pollution. In December, we opened the first round of the Slurry Infrastructure grant for applications. In this post, I’ll explain how we prioritised projects and what will happen next. I’ll also describe some changes we are making to the payment process in light of the high demand for the scheme.
Alongside government funding, there are a range of private sector opportunities for farmers and land managers to access new income streams to invest in their holdings. We want farmers and land managers to be able to confidently and securely access payments from both the public and private sector for the environmental benefits they produce. Published today, the Nature Markets Framework and the new Green Finance Strategy set out how we will enable this.
Through 5 pilots, we’re exploring different ways to support new entrants to develop successful land-based businesses in England. We’re now over halfway through. In this post, I’ll share a brief overview of our participants, what we’ve learned and our next steps.
