With the right investment in the right places, nature-friendly farming can help restore wildlife, strengthen farm businesses and build a more resilient Wales.
5 min read
The Welsh Government's commitment of £1 billion over this Senedd term for farming is welcome. It recognises the vital role that farmers play in Wales, not only in producing food, but also in managing the landscapes, wildlife and natural resources on which we all depend.
The key question now is whether this investment will be used in a way that delivers the greatest benefits for farmers, nature and society.
Nature-friendly farming is not a niche environmental issue. It is about ensuring that the Welsh countryside continues to provide clean water, healthy soils, flood protection, carbon storage and thriving wildlife alongside sustainable food production. Healthy soils, restored wetlands, species-rich grasslands and well-managed habitats can also help reduce flood risk and improve resilience to increasingly frequent extreme weather, including drought and wildfire. It is also about helping farms and rural communities become more resilient to the increasing impacts of climate change. When nature thrives, we all benefit.
Read more about nature-friendly farming in our new report here.
Farmers are central to this challenge. More than 80% of Wales is farmed, meaning farmers are uniquely placed to help tackle nature loss while continuing to produce high-quality food. Across Wales, many farmers are already managing habitats, restoring hedgerows, improving water quality and creating space for wildlife. These actions not only benefit nature but also help build more resilient farms and rural communities.
The Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) is the key tool for supporting this transition. It recognises that, alongside producing food, farmers have an important role in delivering wider public benefits through the way they manage their land. The Scheme provides a framework for rewarding farmers who take action for nature, climate and water, while maintaining sustainable food production. Simple measures, such as cutting hedges every other year, maintaining existing habitats and improving land management, can make a significant difference when adopted at scale.
However, if the Scheme is to deliver real value for taxpayers and meaningful results for nature, it must do more than fund activity. It must support the right actions, in the right places and at the right scale.
Not all environmental actions deliver the same results everywhere. To reverse nature loss, funding must be targeted where it can achieve the greatest impact. Experience from previous schemes has shown that outcomes are strongest when support is focused, well-designed and backed by expert advice (link to report).
The Scheme has got off to a good start, with around half of Welsh farmers signing up and two-thirds of Welsh land under management. However, success should ultimately be measured by what it achieves on the ground: helping farmers maintain and create habitat mosaics for wildlife, improving the condition of Wales's most important nature sites, including SSSIs, and supporting the recovery of threatened species such as the Curlew. These are outcomes farmers can deliver, but only with the right support, incentives and long-term certainty.
Investing in nature-friendly farming is not just about protecting wildlife. It is an investment in Wales's future resilience, helping to secure the natural systems that underpin food production, support communities and strengthen the rural economy.
The £1 billion commitment is an important step forward, but it falls well short of what is needed to restore nature across Wales. The recent Scale of Need report, commissioned by RSPB Cymru, National Trust Cymru and Wildlife Trusts Wales, found that around £594 million per year is required for farming and land management to deliver Wales's nature and climate ambitions (link to report).
Against a backdrop of significantly lower agricultural funding, it is vital that every pound is invested where it can have the greatest impact. The Sustainable Farming Scheme should ensure public investment is directed towards the actions that deliver the greatest returns for nature, climate and society, while supporting sustainable farm businesses.
Closing this funding gap must also be a priority for the next Welsh Government budget if Wales is to meet its environmental and climate commitments.
Get it right, and Wales can show how productive farming and nature recovery go hand in hand. Get it wrong, and we risk missing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reverse nature's decline, strengthen farm businesses and build a healthier, more nature-rich and resilient Wales for future generations.
