Farming in harmony with nature

Restoring wildlife and the natural world includes allowing gardens to grow wilder, greening cities, and ensuring nature reserves can flourish. But the way our food is grown and how our fields are farmed also has a huge impact on the natural world. 

Did you know that over 90% of the land area of Wales is given over to farming? That means that our farmers have a vital role to play in maintaining the delicate environment and beautiful landscapes that have evolved over centuries. 

By shifting away from intensive agricultural practices and towards regenerative, nature-friendly methods, farming has huge potential to help nature recover.  

In turn, global food production is reliant on thriving natural systems to provide healthy soils, safe and plentiful water, beneficial pollinators, and a stable climate.  

Climate change is already damaging Wales food production. The health of our soil is decreasing, limiting the amount of food which can be grown, whilst warmer winters are increasing the spread of crop diseases. 

The Sustainable Farming Scheme, referred to as ‘SFS’, is the new post-Brexit funding schemes for farmers and land managers in Wales. If these schemes are designed and delivered correctly, SFS could be a valuable tool for promoting more nature-friendly farming, which would help to halt wildlife declines and bring nature back across Wales.  

Transitioning to more nature-friendly farming would not only be good for nature, but it could also help farmers to increase their profits and boost farm resilience to threats like climate change. We want the SFS to support, support farmers to bringing about nature’s recovery and adaptation to climate change. But SFS and wider policy supports, such as on advice and innovation, are not perfect and we need to be putting strong pressure on the Welsh Government to make improvements, enhance the budget and have a clear pathway to increase ambition over time.  

What support do farmers need? 

The Wildlife Trusts believe the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) and wider agricultural policy must prepare us for the crises of the 21st century – the rising cost of living, climate change, and nature loss. We want to see: 

• Farm payment schemes which go further and faster in supporting farmers to bring nature back into their farm businesses.  
• Policy changes that help to end the dependency on pesticides and artificial fertilisers.
• Stronger safeguards to reduce pollution in our waterways. Run-off from slurry and fertilisers from intensive farming are the main causes leading to phosphorous pollution in Welsh rivers.
• Evidence that farming policies will deliver against the Welsh Government’s environmental targets.  This includes a legal requirement to halt the decline of nature by 2030, a target to reach net zero by 2050, and the newly signed Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that stipulates 30% of land and sea must be protected for nature by 2030.