Nature of Farming Award

Male yellowhammer singing

Arable fields with thick hedgerows and wide flower-rich margins hosting butterflies. Skylarks singing over the corn. Flower-rich meadows buzzing with insects and the bubbling call of curlews. Expansive heather moorland in flower with the sound of cackling grouse.

All are idyllic representations of the UK countryside and its farmland. Much of our native wildlife depends on farmland for food and habitat and it is increasingly important to farm in a sensitive way, particularly for vulnerable or highly specialised species.

Luckily, a growing number of farmers are making great efforts to ensure that such practices become part of their daily work.

Ambassadors for wildlife

It takes particular dedication and care to run a farm that creates terrific wildlife habitat as well as being economically viable. That’s why we are delighted to work with farmers who are making great efforts and who act as ambassadors for wildlife in the farming community.

In celebration of this hard work, the RSPB teamed up with BBC Countryfile magazine, Butterfly Conservation and Plantlife to launch the Nature of Farming Award.

All manner of species stand to reap the rewards of a more sensitive, holistic approach to farming including plants, invertebrates, mammals, and of course birds, whilst still providing farmers with viable businesses.

What can farmers do to help wildlife?

Provide the ‘big three’ requirements for birds - nesting habitat, summer food and winter food are vital.
Create environmental priority areas managed primarily for wildlife - refuges alongside intensively farmed areas or extensify the management of fields or areas to provide the ideal habitats for wildlife.
Leave fallow plots for ground-nesting birds with no risk of nest damage from machinery.
Provide field margins and unmanaged field corners for long-term habitats.
Introduce pollen and nectar mixtures to give a variety of food for pollinating insects.
Optimise the use of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides to ensure there are insects for birds to eat and a safe habitat for invertebrates and wild flowers.
Plant and maintain hedgerows as habitat and food for a wide variety of species.
Restore unimproved areas of grassland, heathland or moorland to conserve native plants and a wide range of dependent insects.

The winner!

Peter Davies, who manages more than 850 stunning acres of Welsh coastline and clifftops, is the 2008 winner. Look out for information on the 2009 competition - coming soon!

Last modified: 26 September 2008

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