A new South West conference aiming to help farmers manage climate extremes, following the wettest eighteen months on record, was announced today. Called LandAlive, the event will explore how what are known as ‘regenerative’ or nature-friendly methods can improve farm profits, while boosting local economies, opening up new markets and stimulating innovation and investment across the South West.

The new conference is to be held at the Bath and West Showground on the 22nd and 23rd November 2024. It will feature a two-day programme of talks by top experts in regenerative farming and sustainable food. They include: Martin Lines of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, Helen Coates (DEFRA), Phillip Lymbery (Compassion in World Farming), Caroline Grindrod (Roots to Regeneration), Tim Martin (FarmWilder, Devon), Tim Coates (founder of Oxbury Bank), and Sue Pritchard (Food, Farming and Countryside Commission).

Chief Executive of the Royal Bath and West of England Society Carol Paris said: 

“After the wettest eighteen months on record, with reports from some farmers that 2024 would be ‘the first year without harvest since the Second World War’, there’s an urgent need for a resilient and ‘climate adaptive’ food and farming system.

‘Since our charitable objectives include educating in agriculture, we want to help advance regenerative practices as the best way forward for climate and food security. It’s also a huge opportunity for the food sector as a whole.’

Whilst primarily aimed at farmers, this is the first conference in the region to look at the place of regenerative farming within the wider food system. Organisers aim to ‘join up the dots’ across the supply chain, looking at ways to support farmers and local economies in the years ahead.

According to former farming journalist, Graham Harvey, the conference programme director, long-term resilience means shifting how we farm: using more nature-friendly methods and possibly changing what we grow.

‘Most farmers have had a pretty miserable time recently with all the rain and spiralling input costs. The good news is there’s growing evidence that making the transition away from chemical dependent farming really can result in better, more nutritious crops and more profitable farming. But ‘Regen’ is a journey, and every farm is different. So it’s about working out what’s right for you and your farm,” Graham Harvey adds. 

The conference is a collaboration between Sustainable Food Somerset and The Royal Bath and West of England Society, supported by DEFRA’s ‘Farming in Protected Landscapes’ (FIPL) fund through Mendip & Quantocks National Landscapes, with support from Somerset Council.

A spokesperson from Somerset Council said: “Farming is hugely important to Somerset and its sustainable and resilient future, environmentally and economically. The impacts of climate change bring challenges but also opportunities. We would encourage anyone involved in the farming sector to come along to this event and make sure they are well-placed to future-proof themselves and seize the opportunities when they come.”

Stewart Crocker, Chair of Sustainable Food Somerset, said: “The conference will cover all the latest innovations, research, sources of investment and opportunities emerging; how to capitalise on the ‘Regen premium’, new sales channels, subsidies, carbon markets, diversification strategies and more.” 

“The roots of sustainable farming are not new, but soil science, discoveries about the impact of nutrition on health, and farmers’ own experiences ‘in the field’ are rapidly advancing the frontiers of knowledge and changing farming practice for the better. Now is the time to bring these farming methods to the fore to safeguard the future of food production and bring nature back from the brink.” 

Mark Brooking, Chief Impact Officer of LandAlive sponsor First Milk said: “We are delighted to be supporting this inaugural LandAlive conference. As the regenerative co-op, First Milk believes we all share responsibility to protect and enhance the environment as custodians of the land. Farming regeneratively is part of the climate and biodiversity solution, building resilience for the future. We are present in the South West with our recent acquisition of BV Dairy and locally available Golden Hooves cheese as well as through our growing relationship with Yeo Valley and formation of the Naturally Better Dairy Group, a pool of regenerative dairy farmers. We look forward to meeting with others in the region’s supply chain to inspire and be inspired as we transition to a nature-friendly food system.”

With a combination of internationally known names and local practitioners in the speaker line-up, and a host of potential exhibitors from across the food system, each supporting the Agricultural Transition – this is relevant to anyone involved in the South West’s food sector. 

Ticket sales launch in July on www.landalive.co.uk.