(c) Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Ro Osborne, farming, climate and land use Policy Assistant on how nature-friendly farming underpins long term food security. This blog is the second of three in this series where we discuss nature-friendly farming, how nature supports food security, and what all of this means for our transition to a Nature Positive food and farming system.
Right now, our food and farming system is destroying the very nature it relies on. With climate change adding to the pressure on our land, we need to act now to ensure that our future food supply is secure – nature-friendly farming can help us achieve this.
For the first time in recorded history, UK temperatures tipped over the 40ºC mark this July. Coming out of this record-breaking season of heatwaves and drought, it is impossible to ignore the impact that climate change is having on our food and farming systems.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that climate change is already directly affecting food security and nutrition, which “exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” Recent definitions of food security have emphasised the importance of sustainability, where the continued degradation of our natural resources and rapid declines in biodiversity directly impact our ability to achieve long-term food security.
Despite the urgency of the situation, we have an answer – nature-friendly farming – but it will take all of us to create the needed system change. Managing our seas and productive land differently through nature-friendly farming and sustainable seafood production can help provide: food for sustainable and healthy diets; net carbon sequestration; significantly reduced pollution; and space for nature and action on climate change.
How does nature-friendly farming support food security?
The UK Government has explicitly recognised the role of biodiversity in supporting sustainable agriculture through ecosystem service provision. On farm, nature can support food production through increased habitat for pollinators, natural pest control, reductions in soil erosion and promotion of healthier, living soils which can reduce reliance on expensive and environmentally damaging artificial inputs.
In addition to these benefits, research has shown that making space for nature on farms has no negative impact on maintaining yields, sometimes even increasing yield. For marginal farming businesses, such as many of the upland livestock farms common throughout the UK, recovery of nature in extensive grazing systems can significantly improve the economic resilience of farm businesses.
How does nature-friendly farming work for farm businesses in practice? A look at RSPBs Hope Farm
In 2000, the RSPB purchased Hope Farm, a 181ha arable farm in south Cambridgeshire, with the aim to showcase how farmers can run a viable business while also helping wildlife. Hope Farm demonstrates its core purpose as a profitable nature-friendly farm by monitoring the changes in wildlife resulting from changing farming practices.
The farmland bird index (a measure of change in the number of farmland breeding bird territories) has nearly doubled over a five year average since the baseline set in 2000. The winter farmland index has increased even more sharply than the breeding bird index, over 12 times higher, due to management changes that the RSPB adopted from the Farm Wildlife 6-point plan. The butterfly index is also continually increasing, already more than double the 2000 baseline.
Despite taking over 15% of the farm land area of production for nature since time of purchase, including research trial areas, we still maintain similar profit (not including our profit from conservation areas) and continue to produce great food. Additionally, in 2019 Hope Farm went insecticide free and saw no reduction in yields compared to previous year.
What can we do to support food security in the UK?
Building resilient food systems in the face of the nature and climate crisis will take all of us. Luckily, we know the answer – nature-friendly farming. If we all work together to transition to nature-friendly, we can halt the erosion of natural resources which underpin food production, and we can build a food and farming system that delivers long-term food security in the face of changing climate.
Through a transition to nature-friendly farming, we have the ability to produce healthy food, support farmer livelihoods, and make space for nature. We all have a positive role to play in this transition. As individuals we can support nature-friendly farmers by asking retailers to stock nature-friendly food, and choosing it where possible. As farmers we can adopt management practices that make more space for nature. As businesses we can source nature-friendly food and work towards making our supply chains Nature Positive. Together we can call on government to change incentives to make nature-friendly farming financially viable for producers.
Want to learn more about how nature supports food security? Check out our full policy briefing on food security in a nature and climate crisis here. Want to learn more about what we can do to make the transition to a Nature Positive food and farming system? Keep an eye out for the final blog in our Nature Positive farming series next month!
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