Farm Gate

ffinlo Costain (8point9) talks to Martin Lines (Nature Friendly Farming Network). Martin has spent three days (and nights) lobbying Labour MPs and activists on behalf of food, farming and nature. Find out the key themes and what was said behind the scenes.Labour's conference theme was "Hope Again". How does that mood music translate into action for food, farming and nature. Labour's return to its rural roots.Food resilience, security, and El Niño.The Great British Grid as a rural opportunity. Growth in every (rural) postcode.Public procurement and diet.The SFI fallout. Finance joining the dots. How NFFN lobbying actually works.

In this episode of Martin's Farm on the Farm Gate podcast, ffinlo Costain speaks to Martin Lines (Chief Exec, Nature Friendly Farming Network) and Holly Purdey (National Trust tenant at Horner Farm, Somerset, and NFFN England Vice Chair).They discuss:The debacle of England's Sustainable Farming IncentiveHow to embed resilience and adaptability into farm businessesWhat Martin found out at the Liberal Democrat ConferenceWhole farm agreements and outcome-based paymentsFarm Nutrient PlansAnd the coming impacts of the biggest El Niño ever recorded

20 years ago, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) promised African governments a transformation: subsidise fertiliser, promote commercial seed, mechanise production and open the door to private investment, and yields would rise, farmers would prosper, and hunger would fall. AGRA's promise has now been tested against nearly 20 years of national data — and, according to a new report from the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), it has failed on its own terms.To discuss the report, AGRA's failure, its dangerous grip on African food security, and the alternative offered by agroecology, ffinlo Costain is joined by Dr Million Belay, the Co-ordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, who's based in Ethiopia, and by Michael Farrelly, a consultant to AFSA, who lives in Senegal.Read more on this subject here: https://8point9.com/africas-food-must-be-grown-by-african-farmers/

ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) is joined by Tom Pycraft (Ark Events), Jimmy Woodrow (Pasture for Life), and Sue Pritchard (Food, Farming and Countryside Commission). They discuss food system risk and reflection on the discussion and outcomes from the UK's first Conference on Food & National Security.For the key takeaways from the conference - Click the link or scroll down (https://8point9.com/key-takeaways-from-conference-on-food-national-security/) * The UK’s food system is a national security threat -Centralised processing, fossil fuel dependency, ecological degradation and import reliance create exploitable points of failure that weaken the UK’s resilience and increase strategic risk.* Resilience must replace efficiency as the organising principle of the food system - The shift from “just-in-time” supply chains to “just-in-case” value networks was a recurring theme throughout the day, with preparedness needing to sit alongside productivity and efficiency.* We must recognise nature and agroecology as strategic defence assets - Healthy soils, biodiversity and farming systems that work with nature reduce dependence on imported inputs and fossil fuels while strengthening food security, water cycling and long-term national resilience.* The missing middle is as important as the farm - Regional processing, storage, distribution and retail infrastructure are essential to rebuilding resilient place-based food economies and reducing reliance on fragile, centralised supply chains.* Britain needs practical food emergency preparedness - Local authorities, businesses and communities should work in partnership and develop clear plans and the capability to feed people during major disruptions, whether lasting days, weeks or years.* NATO Article 3 provides a powerful framework for action - Civilian resilience is a core NATO commitment, creating a strong policy opportunity to recognise distributed food systems, and natural infrastructure as key defence assets.* The capital exists - the challenge is creating investable opportunities - With UK investment managers overseeing around £10 trillion, the barriers are not a lack of capital but clear policy signals, investable projects and regulatory certainty.* The energy transition offers a blueprint for food and nature - Renewables accelerated when security, policy and investment aligned. The same conditions are now needed to unlock investment in resilient food systems and natural infrastructure.* Stronger food systems strengthen national and global stability - Building resilient food systems can reduce the risk of food insecurity, conflict and migration, while strengthening economy and society both at home and internationally.* The opportunity to act is now - This focus on defence, resilience and national preparedness presents a unique opportunity to place food, farming and nature at the heart of UK security policy, supported by collaboration across government, finance, farming, industry and civil society.Thank you to our hosts and sponsors: Howden, Saffery, and Savills. To our Founding Patron: Marian Boswall. And to our remarkable panellists and speakers.

In central London, on September the 8th, Farm Gate and Ark Events will host the UK's first Conference on Food and National Security. The conference will uniquely deal with the subjects of food, nature and national security - because ecological and defence vulnerabilities, driven by our food system itself, go beyond simply food security and resilience.We will be discussing food security, resilience and emergency preparedness - but the key focus will be food system driven insecurity. We'll be talking about what changes are necessary to improve Britain's defence, and structural deterrence. ffinlo Costain is joined by three of conference panellists to help set the scene: Lt General Richard Nugee (member of the Ministerial Climate and Security Taskforce)Adele Jones (farmer and regenerative food and agriculture leader)Mike Gooding (Farming Systems Director for AHDB)The conference is sponsored by Savills and Saffery - and by Howden, which is kindly providing the conference venue.