The North York Moors National Park Authority is now delivering the Farm for the Future Programme, led by the Royal Countryside Fund as part of Defra’s Farming Resilience Programme. This initiative aims to help farm businesses in England navigate changes in policy and become more resilient and sustainable.
Farm for the Future is a free programme designed to assist farmers in understanding and adapting to the evolving agricultural landscape. The National Park’s locally delivered programme takes a whole farm and family approach, offering practical solutions and opportunities linked to the agricultural transition.
Farm businesses that receive direct payments can take part at no cost, providing they haven’t already accessed this support from another provider.
The programme targets small to medium-sized enterprises primarily engaged in beef, sheep, or dairy farming. It features a series of workshops and peer networking sessions delivered locally to ensure relevance and accessibility.
Workshops offered:
Business Workshop: Preparing a farm business for changes in agricultural policy, including the removal of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).
Environment Workshop: Explore environmental opportunities within the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes that could be of financial and practical benefit.
Topic Workshops: Tailored workshops based on the needs of the farmers within the group and relevant to the local area.
Farmers who sign up for the programme will also be eligible for up to three hours of one-on-one support on topics most relevant to their farm business, such as on-farm Sustainable Farming Incentive advice, business advice, diversification opportunities, planning matters, and assistance with Integrated Pest Management plans.
Rebecca Thompson, Head of Farming and Land Management at the North York Moors National Park, said:
“Farming shapes our landscapes, supports biodiversity and sustains rural communities, and it’s crucial that we in turn support farm businesses through this period of agricultural transition, to ensure their resilience for future generations.”
The Royal Countryside Fund, which was established by His Majesty King Charles III in 2010, has become a cornerstone of support for farming communities, focusing on building thriving rural enterprises and securing the future for smaller family farms.
The North York Moors is a beautiful landscape of stunning moorland, ancient woodland and historic sites. Created on 28 November 1952, it became Britain’s sixth national park. Covering an area of 554 square miles (1,436 square kilometres) the National Park has 26 miles of coastline, two national nature reserves, 840 Scheduled Monuments and over 3,000 listed buildings, attracting an estimated 8.4 million visitors a year.
The National Park has two visitor centres, Danby Lodge National Park Centre and Sutton Bank National Park Centre, providing opportunities for cycling, walking, eating, picnicking, shopping, crafts and wildlife-watching. The centre in Danby also houses the Inspired by… gallery, which features regularly changing exhibitions by artists who draw their inspiration from the North York Moors.
The North York Moors National Park Authority works with a wide variety of people to care for this beautiful corner of Yorkshire, providing apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities with nearly 14% of staff being apprentices from local families.
For more information and to sign up, you can visit royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmforthefuture, or contact Rebecca Thompson on R.Thompson@northyorkmoors.org.uk
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