Why farming matters and what you can do

Farming is of fundamental importance for wildlife. Farmland provides breeding and feeding habitats for birds and other animals and plants. Three-quarters of the land in the UK is farmed, and food production is a vital activity on which we all depend.

Since World War II, farming policy has encouraged large-scale, efficient food production, often at the expense of wildlife. In many areas of the UK, populations of farmland birds are in big trouble.

The RSPB believes that we can develop agricultural and trade systems that meet our need for food without reducing the benefits of farming for wildlife.