The future of hill farming in England and Wales is set for a radical shake up in the next decade as we move to an era where farming water, wildlife, carbon and landscapes in the hills could become the norm.
This prediction comes on the tenth anniversary of the National Trust acquiring Hafod y Llan, a 1,500 ha (4,000 acres) hill farm in Snowdonia, following a hugely successful fundraising appeal.
Iwan Huws, the National Trust’s Director for Wales, said:
'Ten years ago any notion that hill farmers would farm for water or for carbon would have been dismissed as fantasy. But with the pressures of a changing climate and the need to protect and value our natural capital, the future of hill farming will focus on a mixture of food production and providing wider environmental benefits for society.'
The National Trust manages 250,000 ha (660,000 acres) of land in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The majority of this land is in the uplands. There are 2,000 tenant farmers, including more than 700 whole farms.
At present hill farms like Hafod y Llan rely on direct public subsidy to keep going. The rising costs of production and the global recession threaten to cut returns from food sales, making the economics of hill farming very challenging. In the future new income sources, from both the public and private sector, will link any payments to how the natural resources on these farms are managed for the wider benefit of society.
Every year the hills attract millions of people who want to enjoy the great outdoors and they provide vital services such as supplying drinking water, holding back floodwater and storing carbon, as well as producing food. Hill farms like Hafod y Llan also provide large areas of habitat which is particularly important for wildlife as it tries to adapt to a changing climate.
By 2018 hill farms will have to focus on using fewer resources, such as energy to produce food, and any financial support will focus on their role in managing water and carbon storage. Farms such as Hafod y Llan will continue to produce high quality food, create space for wildlife to flourish and provide good quality public access to the hills.
Iwan Huws continued:
'The uplands are particularly rich in natural resources and much loved by the public. But the role of hill farms in managing these assets is largely unrecognised. With the right investment, these farms could be rewarded for their important contribution to our wildlife as well as the management of the finite resources such as water and soil, which will benefit us all.'
New investment and better use of existing funds is essential for hill farms to be able to manage the valuable resources of the uplands. This could come from redirecting flood management funds, or water company investment in land management which reduces pollution at source. Private sector investment in carbon markets could also support land management.
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