A new Vision for Food, Farming, and Nature

With the ever present nature and climate crisis making itself known, a collective of farmers, landowners and environmental charities came together to form a vision for food, farming and nature recognising that a healthy and resilient natural world is essential for food security. Here, Land Use Policy Manager, Barnaby Coupe explains.

2023 started off with a stark reminder that we are in the midst of a planetary crisis. Record breaking warm winter temperatures across Europe and arctic conditions across much of North America are a clear signal that we need urgent action to address both the climate emergency and the steady decline of nature. In no sector is this more important than in our food systems.

Our global food system is underpinned by nature, yet the “invisibility of nature” is one of the most urgent and deeply embedded problems of our food system. The failure to account for the value of nature within the manufacture, production, and distribution of food has been an ecological disaster. Globally, a quarter of all mammal species are currently threatened with extinction, as their natural habitats are converted for food production, and 35% of fish stocks are being overfished at unsustainable levels. In the UK, agriculture is the biggest driver of nature’s decline and the most significant polluter of our waterways.

As two inseparable crises, climate change is already contributing to nature’s decline, whilst the exploitation and loss of nature leaves us ill-equipped to reduce our emissions, adapt to future change, and ensure our own long-term future.

This is a vicious cycle, as the main threats to food security in the UK are climate change and ecological breakdown. A healthy and thriving natural world is essential for supporting a resilient food system, and without meaningful action to address the dual climate and biodiversity crises these risks will only increase.

That is why today, in partnership with farmers, landowners, and other eNGOs across the UK, The Wildlife Trusts are lending our voice to a new vision for food, farming and nature to build a cross-sector consensus towards a new model of farming in the UK. One which works with nature to ensure we produce healthy and nutritious food in a way which addresses the multiple challenges of the nature and climate crisis.

Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts

“For decades, the choice between food or nature has been presented as binary, with the two competing demands for land often seen as at odds with each other. However, this could not be further from the truth. The main threats to food security in the UK are climate change and ecological breakdown, and so nature’s recovery is critical to underpinning resilient and profitable food systems.

“This consensus on a future for food and farming by both farmers and environmentalists is a milestone moment which should put the food vs nature debate to bed, and provide a foundation from which we can build a better future for farmers and for wildlife across the UK.”