A summary of agri-environment project activities

Thank you to everyone for providing their email address so collaborative working can continue.

Arnside and Reviewing and increasing our database of farmers, foresters and land Helen Rawlinson [email protected] Silverdale AONB managers in the AONB. Short survey to gain info on desire for local network. 2 or 3 newsletters via post for those difficult to reach. 1-2-1 advice clinic either via internet or if risk assessment allows in person particularly around hedges and boundary CS.

Blackdown Hills This will be a joint approach between and Dorset AONBs. We Gavin Saunders [email protected] AONB propose a nested approach based on 3 stages: Stage 1: Questionnaire using Survey Monkey, sent to existing Facilitation Fund members, FWAG SW membership, ELM Test & Trial cluster participants, etc. Aim for at least 25 responses. Questionnaire will assess current uptake of agri- environment schemes, timing of agreement endings, levels of satisfaction, understanding of agricultural transition proposals and their implications; determine what level of support farmers need for ELM, and what role the AONBs could serve. Stage 2: In-depth Farmer Interviews to a subset of c.12 farmers. Stage 3: Ensure participants attend NAAONB online webinars in March 2021. Final report with recommendations for future provision of advice within the AONB area. The project will be carried out by a consortium of three consultants: FWAG SW, Gavin Saunders and George Greenshields . Broads Authority Collaborating of Broads National Park and three AONBs (Norfolk Coast, Suffolk Andrea Kelly [email protected] Coast and ) to create a Natural Capital Compendium for each Protected Landscape, drawing on datasets compiled for the Norfolk and Suffolk Natural Capital Evidence Compendium. These will be used to produce sets of maps for each of the four areas, that are most relevant to farmers and land managers. This information will be used to inform entrants into agri- environment schemes, including Countryside Stewardship and the roll-out of the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme. The Broads Authority will work with partners and delivery bodies (NFU, Norfolk FWAG and Broads Internal Drainage Board), offering one to one advice for land managers not in current schemes to help support entry into Countryside Stewardship. We have engaged agri-environment consultants to work alongside AONB Ian Marshall [email protected] AONB officers to: (1) provide insight about farming, land management, landowners, and agri-environment uptake in and around Cannock Chase; (2) establish the foundations for farmer/landowner cluster networks that can work collaboratively across the landscape to improve and enhance the environment of Cannock Chase, and; (3) raise the profile of CS and ELM with farmers and land owners to aid understanding and facilitate increase uptake.

Chilterns AONB Series of 6 on-line workshops covering a range of subjects including Neil Jackson [email protected] Regenerative Farming, soil carbon, water, cultural heritage and whole farm plans.

Dedham Vale and Dedham Vale – further strengthening relationships working with the Stour Simon Amstutz [email protected] Coast & Heaths Valley Farmer Cluster (SVFC). SVFC would like to develop the idea of a AONB Demonstration Farm for the Cluster where the project helps a land manager to undertake a baseline audit of business inputs & outputs for the farm to explore locally relevant ways of assessing the three key elements of water, air and soil quality which we know will be core to ELM – and if resources allow, looking at measuring carbon capture. SVFC members would be invited to apply to be the Demonstration Farm which must be prepared to share their data amongst SVFC members. External consultant(s) would be appointed to undertake the baseline assessment of the 3 key elements – water, soil, air. If the farm does not already have a Baseline Habitat Assessment farm report this would be prepared by the Cluster Facilitator. This would feed information into the process for “ecosystem services” that the farm currently provides. Information would be collated into a report covering the key findings and disseminated by 31st March 2021 through a shortened version of the report, in conjunction with a visit to the Demonstration Farm (subject to government restrictions at that time) or, through a virtual meeting. Coast & Heaths – developing relationships by working with the 3 x Farmer Clusters through their group facilitators AJ Paul / Diane Ling (Suffolk FWAG). Proposals are similar to Dedham Vale – a targeted natural capital audit for one or two farms within the Facilitation group. This audit will involve Natural Capital accounting and other aspects of the farm business to identify the quality, quantity and location of all natural capital asset. From this, areas requiring additional inputs in order to achieve their full benefit can be identified. Specific areas requiring management change will be identified at the field level, and the proposed changes described. The aim would be that once complete, this audit could be adapted and applied to all farms in the Sandlands area. Collaboration – working with Norfolk AONB, Norfolk Broads Authority and UEA we are considering producing an AONB specific, land owner/manager friendly natural capital document to help inform future ELM advice. This will be take forward the Norfolk and Suffolk Natural Capital Compendium and make more digestible and relevant to our landscapes. It will explain how the full range of assets in the AONB provide public goods, with a focus on the public goods that farmers and land managers can create. It will also highlight nationally important assets, locally significant assets and opportunities to manage risk and develop resilience. Mtg 14 December to develop this idea. Dedham Vale and Coast & Heaths - Funding Suffolk Farmer Cluster to undertake a project which Claire Cadman [email protected] Coast & Heaths will provide us with a better understanding of how to structure a farm-scale AONB Natural Capital assessment and how to scale up assessments to cover the wider landscape. Dedham Vale - Demonstration farm for the Farmer Cluster - a project helps a land manager undertake a baseline audit of business inputs & outputs for the farm and explores locally relevant ways of assessing the three key elements of water, air and soil quality and of measuring carbon capture and natural capital. East Devon AONB We are already running a T&T and struggling in the current conditions to Chris Woodruff [email protected] deliver this as per our plans. We also have a farm facilitation programme running which is also impacted by COVID19. We will look to build on these work areas as part of an AONB wide approach to developing our approach to delivering the FIPL model.

Exmoor National Workshops with hill farmers in Exmoor National Park to inform them of Robert Deane [email protected] Park Authority changes and opportunities (through the Exmoor Hill Farming Network). We are planning to contract 'The Farmer Network' based in Cumbria and Elliott Lorimer [email protected] AONB to carry out scoping and developmental work to establish a Bowland-wide network. Existing networks in the area are currently patchy Sarah Robinson and in the case of CSFF groups, time limited. We are also scoping out cost for [email protected] 'farmer-friendly' summary report for our 'What's A Hill Worth?' research into using a natural capital approach to assessing how farms can deliver and be paid for the provision of public benefits. High Weald AONB We are offering an ELM/CS mentoring service as part of all site/telephone Gerry Sherwin [email protected] communications with land managers. We are running an online ELM event and Mid-tier CS event. We are producing guidance on tree establishment to guide land manager's consideration of this future land management option. Letter to all farmers & land managers in the AONB with large enough holdings Paul Jackson [email protected] AONB for ELM to be relevant, from our own address list; Survey form about engaging with on-line webinars; one-to-one assistance for up to 5 participants who are looking to submit a CS application this year; A farm walk in late March (Covid dependent). Isle of Wight We aim to contact farmers in the designated landscape through partners and Richard Grogan [email protected] inform them of the opportunities available through Countryside Stewardship Schemes. Positive responses will be contacted with further information about NAAONB videos and FiPL. We will also co-ordinate, with partners, two meetings to discuss the formation of new farmer clusters. We are trying to engage a consultant to help us with this work due to lack of Julian Pearce [email protected] AONB internal capacity. The brief states the role is "To engage with farmers to raise awareness of (1) ELM, and (2) encourage them to consider entering CS Scheme as a way of supporting farm incomes through the provision of public goods as BPS is phased out and before ELM is introduced." Two blocks of work are listed: 1. Advocacy and communication of CS and ELM schemes (following NAAONB lead) and 2. Develop farm/land manager cluster(s)for engagement, collaboration and feedback. AONB So far we have been in touch with the NE advisors working on CS in the Kent Nick Johannsen [email protected] Downs and FWAG, and we have arranged a meeting with CLA and NFU regional and JAC reps. As a team we have thought which projects we are running could provide links to farmers and land managers (several can) so we will build on existing relationships. We are not that clear on the expectations re. workshops etc but we are planning to work with FWAG NFU CLA and through our own projects and contacts to arrange meetings with farmers and land managers to understand their concerns and wishes for CSS and ELM and to promote (with CS advisors and FWAG) applications to CS, especially tier 2. We already have nearly half of the AONB in CS so we have a good basis on which to build.

Kent Downs AONB Looking at the correlation between row fruit and viticulture and whether the Pippa Palmar [email protected] proposed draft actions fulfil for both these horticultural activities in the protected landscape. Lake District We are currently engaging with farmers as part of our ELM test and for the Andrea Meanwell [email protected] National Park creation of our new Management Plan and supporting Heritage Horizons Authority Lottery bid. We will guide our local farmers towards the nationally produced webinars, and then run our own local interactive sessions. We will develop a newsletter to keep farmers up to date. We are currently working with consultants to deliver part of the advocacy of Helen Gamble [email protected] AONB ELM/CS with farmers project, focusing on those land managers outside of our current Facilitation Fund Groups. We will be engaging with JAC partners NFU/CLA to contact a wider group to promote the online conferencing/webinars in March 2021. We have made contact with 10 neighbouring landowners in one area of the Paul Esrich [email protected] AONB AONB. We have engaged Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) South West to liaise with the owners virtually and to produce habitat-based land management plans - to a standard template - for each, with a focus on the potential of land to deliver ES in the future. We are also using this work as an opportunity to develop collaborative working between the neighbouring owners, possibly with a view to a future level 2 ELM application.

Mendip Hills Improving our existing farmer contact database. Production of a guide for Jim Hardcastle [email protected] AONB farmers/land managers that interprets 'public goods' that could be achieved on the . Contract with a consultant to deliver workshops to explain the 'public goods'. We are going to produce a set of info sheets, bite size, on various topics e.g. Julie Melin- [email protected] National Park info on the current scheme (CSS), a sheet on each 'public good' and how it Stubbs Authority relates to the New Forest, an info sheet about agricultural transition including emerging info about new schemes such as Farming in Protected Landscapes and ELM. We will send out invitations to the webinars you are developing nationally and we will send out links to the films the NAAONB is making.

Nidderdale AONB Raise awareness of current and future agri-environment schemes and the Jackie Smith jackie.smith@.gov.uk benefits these will have as EU-based rules and subsidies are phased out, through consultation with colleagues, partners and stakeholders to produce viable information via different media outlets. The proposed outputs will be a newsletter from the AONB providing key localised information and dates which will be sent out with the DEFRA Farming is Changing booklet to all the farms / land owners and the agents / consultants operating within the AONB. A short film featuring the AONB Test and Trial participants to provide farmer led advice/experience at local level. If necessary a series of on- line workshops/webinars will be scheduled to compliment the national webinars; the requirements will be determined once further information is obtained regarding the timescales and content of national roll-out. The newsletter will include a web address to the Nidderdale AONB website which will provide links to the Test and Trial farmer-based film plus the national farmer videos and also to enable registration to the national webinars and regional workshops. Northumberland Setting up one or two farmer groups encompassing a 1-to-many approach Ema Caskie [email protected] National Park instead of 1 to 1.

North Devon Appoint a contractor to engage with a sample of farmers in the AONB working Jenny Carey- [email protected] AONB alongside the AONB team to address the advocacy for ELM project priorities Wood and workshops. Focus will be on small coastal farms.

North Pennines We intend to produce 2 newsletters to all farming businesses in the North Sarah Tooze [email protected] AONB Pennines, distributed by post to reach the maximum number of farmers. North Wessex Planned: Henry Oliver [email protected] Downs AONB 1) A series of online talks aimed at farmers and land managers on relevant/interesting/inspiring topics, selected following a survey of facilitators and cluster members locally. Aim is to build trust and interest in the AONB Partnership among the farming community, and stimulate interest in key topics in advance of/alongside ELM workshops. 2) Expert support for one embryonic farmer cluster within the AONB centred on a chalk stream catchment that is not reaching WFD standards (lower Pang), to help the group coalesce, identify landscape-scale conservation priorities and agree on an Action Plan. The hope is that this will be followed by further support from the FIPL programme to make the members well placed to address ELM priorities in the AONB Management Plan. 3) Identify and exploit opportunities for collaborative farmer engagement outside the AONB in partnership with other protected landscapes (New Forest, South Downs National Parks, Chilterns, Cranborne Case, AONBs) as part of the strategic nature recovery network.

North York Moors Engagement with farmers through regular updates & briefing notes via Rebecca [email protected] National Park existing networks and face to face at auction marts. Encourage uptake of CS by Thompson offering farm visits/surveys to identify relevance of CS to individual farm holdings.

Peak District Working with a small group of farmers in the White Peak (PDNP) on a suite of Rebekah [email protected] National Park trials designed to deliver nature recovery. Hope to also work with a wider Newman Authority group of farmers bringing them up to date with our ideas and with ELM development. Peak District The PDNPA farm advisers are delivering 1:1 and 1:many advice with farmers Suzanne Fowkes [email protected] National Park and land managers highlighting opportunity for Countryside Stewardship (HT, Authority MT, H&BGS). This will include forthcoming E.L.M. opportunities and particularly promoting collaboration for a landscape approach. We are using the very welcome funds from this project to achieve our income target against the farm adviser cost. Peak District To continue working three days a week as Farm Link Worker for the South Andrew Farmer [email protected] National Park West Peak Landscape Partnership in multiple projects and also support the (South West Peak) PDNPA Farm Adviser team. Delivery of 10 workshops in collaboration with Exmoor National Park Authority Ian Porter [email protected] AONB covering Agricultural Transition Plan, CS options (upland & lowland), CS changes to capital grants & collaborative working through ELM.

Shropshire Hills Test & trials for ELM, engagement, workshop facilitation. Ally Kay [email protected] AONB 1. Developing a contacts base and establishing contact with farmers. Naomi Kay [email protected] AONB 2. Carrying out a survey on their views. 3. Issuing newsletters and press release. However, we are still formulating plans and deciding what approach to take in partnership with other protected landscapes in and bordering with Cumbria. South Devon We will be developing our database of farmers and land managers in the Diane Lethbridge [email protected] AONB protected landscape - buying in some mapping support. Preparation and Louise Lethbridge circulation of flyer. Farmers will be offered a selection of workshops including: [email protected] An introduction to net xero and what it means for farmers; The carbon toolkit; The value of hedges and how it relates to ELM; CS Mid-tier overview workshop with local examples; Mid-tier application support.

South Downs In the SDNP, we run annual farmer breakfast/supper meetings in early spring Bruce Fowkes [email protected] National Park to update farmers and landowners on key issues. This year, we are planning our events to cover the ATP, with a focus on ELM, the National Pilot and CSS.