We work to bring together unusual combinations of voices in order to devise a range of practical actions that can have significant impact on our climate, nature, health and economy. 

Working with all the key pieces of the system, from farmers to activists, businesses to government, academics to practitioners and many others, we aim to encourage debate and catalyse change.

Our team is structured around work programmes focused on farming, food & health, land use and finance. Each programme is shaped by the leadership of commissioners and specific leadership groups (made up of academics, policy makers, business leaders and more) for each programme.

The work itself is a blend of action research and on-the-ground engagement with communities designed influence policy and make:

  • Healthy food everybody’s business, levelling the playing field for a fair food system
  • Farming a force for change, with a transition plan for agroecology by 2030, and the resources to back that plan
  • The countryside work for everyone, with a framework for sustainable land use and nature restoration, with flourishing rural economies and thriving communities where people can afford to live and work.

We started off life in November 2017 as an independent inquiry hosted by the RSA and funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. In our first phase of work we generated ideas and recommendations which we published in Our Future in the Land - a piece of work that involved a nation-wide bike tour which gave us a unique insight into the thoughts and concerns of people potentially most impacted by our recommendations.

We became an independent charity in April 2020 thanks to the generous, continued support of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. We work in partnerships and collaboration with colleagues around the UK which allows us, as a small organisation, to have much greater impact. We are fiercely optimistic about the power of bringing together many voices to find solutions to the issues facing us today.

Our work is shaped by linking rigorous, scientific research and local, lived experience with a healthy dose of critical inquiry. Our focus is to develop and help facilitate self-organising networks, in communities and within sectors, that can bring to life a new way of living.

View stories from our community in our Field Guide for the Future

 

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Regenerative farming looks to optimise the use of the ecological system and environment, in order to benefit from the natural ecosystem services that they provide.

Agroecology is a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems. Definition from FAO.

Building the right skills for the agricultural industry has been recognised as crucial to its future success.

Knowledge Exchange in Agriculture in the UK is diverse, with many organisations involved. That is part of the reason for creating Farm-PEP, to help provide connections to what many percieve as a fragmented landscape.

Policy plays a critical role in shaping the agriculture industry in the UK and Europe. Government policies can have a major impact on the way that farmers operate, the crops they grow, and the prices they receive for their products. Policy has a major effect on how land is managed and environmental outcomes.

H3

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Help us collate the knowledge sources, organisations and initiatives out there that are seeking to improve the farmed environment

Food, Farming & Countryside Commission Presentation slides developed to share with educators who lead agriculture degree courses at the AUC Educators Retreat 2023.