Ad: Trees on farms are a solution to nature and food security challenges

Seventy percent of the UK land area is farmed and there is a growing pressure on this land not only to produce food but also to help tackle climate change and reverse the decline in nature.

This is in a context of significant change in the sector. Brexit and exiting the Common Agricultural Policy has seen Defra and each of the devolved nations develop new land use policies and trade deals; operating in commodity markets farmers have faced price volatilities because of global conflicts and a cost-of-living crisis.

Many farmers feel they are at crisis point – added to which climate change is exerting immense pressure due to increasingly frequent extreme weather events, such as flooding and drought, which can severely impact livestock health, crop yields and profitability.

UK farming is already operating within the impacts of increasingly frequent extreme weather events. I know from the experience of growing up on a farm during the 70s that it has always been at the mercy of the weather; I remember the heatwave of 1976 and a snowstorm in June. But these events happened every few years and could be absorbed by well-run farming businesses.

But a quick review of recent weather data confirms extreme weather is now becoming the norm. Four of the five hottest days in the UK since records began in 1911 have occurred since 2019 with temperatures exceeding 40oC in July 2022. This was quickly followed by England having the wettest 18-month period ever recorded by the Environment Agency with 1,695.9mm of rain between October 2022 and March 2024.

Extreme weather events bring serious downstream consequences. The heatwave of 2022 caused whole fruit and vegetable crops to fail and quality to deteriorate. The following deluge saw vegetable yields drop nearly 5% in 2023, whilst fruit production volumes fell by 12% and England suffered the 2nd worst cereals harvest in 2024 after this record-breaking wet weather hit both yields and quality. The livestock sector fares no better with extreme weather impacting the health, welfare and economic performance.

Planting trees can form part of regenerative farming practice that restores the essential components of a healthy eco-system; soil quality, water quality and biodiversity to produce nutrient-dense food. Done well, it can bring resilience into farming systems enabling them to adapt to climate change. Trees enhance microclimates through shade and shelter when facing extreme weather. They can also improve productivity per hectare and bring in diversity of products (nuts/fruits/timber – all products the UK currently imports at high levels). At the same time they deliver a wide range of environmental benefits; mitigate air and water pollution, alleviate flooding, create habitat and provide connectivity across what can be hostile environments as well as sequester carbon.

We know that every farm – and business – is different, so there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to tree planting. For arable farmers it could be buffer strips for flood management; for livestock producers, it might be shelterbelts for shade and grazing. Others may want to plant up unproductive land for wildlife and farm diversification. Through our MOREwoods scheme we provide free, on-farm advice to create a planting plan and species mix to meet your specific objectives. Successful applicants receive the trees and tree protection to deliver the scheme, and most of the costs – normally around 75% – are funded, which means you can plant much more for less.

Discover more about what trees can do for your land. Join the Woodland Trust and Soil Association at the Agroforestry Show, 10-11 September, supported by Sainsbury’s and Lloyds Banking Group.

Registered charity numbers 294344 and SC038885. The Woodland Trust logo is a registered trademark.