Wildfarmed launches Food & Nature Resilience Fund

Regenerative agriculture pioneer Wildfarmed has rolled out a specialised fund designed to incentivise a transition to nature-positive farming and help build a more sustainable food system.

It partnered with Lloyds Banking Group, which is the UK’s largest agricultural lender, to launch the ‘Food & Nature Resilience Fund’.

The initiative, which is aiming to raise £1.3m in year one and is expected to grow as additional farmers and partners come on board, hopes to encourage farmers of arable land to make the shift to regenerative agriculture and farm more closely with nature.

The fund enables investment to be pooled from banks, utility companies, insurers and other businesses across food and non-food value chains, bringing together organisations that share a common interest in more resilient food and farmed landscapes.

Water companies Severn Trent and Affinity Water, along with global commercial insurer Axa XL, are among the first organisations committed to the initiative, with further partners expected to be announced in due course.

Wildfarmed said the new fund would allow farmers to make positive improvements to nature recovery without compromising on economic outcomes or taking land away from food production.

“Historically, our food system has priced nature at zero,” co-founder Andy Cato added. “The consequences of this are everywhere, from food price inflation to the fragility of the ecosystems on which we all depend.

“Nature and food production are too often seen in opposition, with payment schemes forcing farmers to choose one or the other. Yet a resilient, abundant future depends on nature-rich food-producing land. For many years, it has been an ambition for farmers to be rewarded for delivering nature and resilience whilst growing food, not instead of it. This partnership is a big step forward in making this a reality at scale.”

The fund is designed to make the transition to regenerative practices commercially viable for farmers and address the financial barriers often cited as the primary obstacle to change.

Ben Makowiecki, agriculture sustainability director at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “As the UK’s largest agricultural lender, we have a responsibility to support farmers during this transition. By bringing together businesses with a stake in resilient farming, healthy soils, clean water and thriving natural ecosystems, this fund can help set in motion the pace of change needed to scale regenerative agriculture across the UK while creating a more reliable financial model for farmers.”

Wildfarmed works with a range of research partners to analyse and report on in-field data to demonstrate how its farming practices are making meaningful contributions to improve soil health, increase biodiversity, minimise water pollution and reduce carbon.

The University of Bristol recorded a 79% increase in insect biomass at Wildfarmed partner farms compared with conventionally farmed land, while research organisation NIAB also found 15 birds on the UK Red List of highest conservation concern recorded within Wildfarmed fields.

Wildfarmed said the return of wildlife to actively farmed, food-producing land demonstrated nature recovery and agricultural productivity were not mutually exclusive, and, with the right farming practices and financial support, both could be achieved at scale.

Read more: Wildfarmed: how an unlikely trio are bringing regenerative agriculture to the masses

Cato founded Wildfarmed with George Lamb and Edd Lees in 2018 and has since built a network of farmers growing wheat, oats and barley using regenerative methods.

The business supplies flour, barley and oats to bakeries, cafes and restaurants, including the likes of Greggs, Franco Manca, Shake Shack and The Fat Duck. It also works with a raft of fmcg brands such as Minor Figures, Jubel, Tribe and Spoon. Earlier this month, it partnered with Nestlé to introduce regeneratively grown wheat into Kit Kat bars.

Branded Wildfarmed regenerative products are also available at Tesco, Ocado and Waitrose, with the UK’s first supermarket packaged sourdough made using 100% regenerative flour launched last week.

Georgina Key, principal catchment scientist at Severn Trent Water, said: “The new partnership with Wildfarmed extends our commitment to helping farmers transition to practices that will help boost biodiversity, and improve soil health and water quality for the long term.”

Noelene McKenna, environmental underwriting manager at Axa XL, added: “Farming is a vital part of the UK, but agricultural pollution remains a significant challenge – affecting 41% of England’s rivers, lakes and streams. With roughly half of my portfolio made up of agricultural clients, this is something I encounter in my role. Being part of the Food & Nature Resilience Fund allows us to support farmers and will give us access to even more robust, farm-level data to better understand how regenerative practices can mitigate environmental risks.”

Danny Coffey, catchment manager at Affinity Water, said: “We know that farmers are often willing to test new approaches, but the cost and risk of making changes can be a real barrier. Through this fund, we are helping provide financial support that gives farmers the opportunity to trial and transition to regenerative practices that benefit their businesses, soils, drinking water supplies and the wider environment.

“Water is critical to farming, nature and everyday life. This fund brings together organisations with a shared interest in creating more resilient landscapes, helping create the conditions for farmers to make changes that can deliver lasting benefits.”