The government has yesterday (Wednesday 24 June) announced a new Farming Roadmap to outline its vision for the UK farming system up until 2050.

It says that the "Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England's Future" sets out how farmers can adapt through nature-based solutions such as improved soil health and water management.

Responding to the announcement, Soil Association Policy Director Brendan Costelloe said: "The biggest challenge facing our farmers is climate change. The government's new Farming Roadmap rightly recognises that soils are the best defence for farmers who will increasingly face extreme weather over the coming decades. Extra investment in innovation for soil health and water management is much welcome – but government must ensure this is spent on nature-friendly practices to help soils retain water at times of flood and drought. With healthier soils on organic farms, agroecological farming that doesn't rely on synthetic inputs is the obvious solution for climate resilience and food security. We hope the government will now follow up with an Organic Action Plan for England that increases organic land to 10%.

"A Farming Roadmap can only be effective if it drives us away from business as usual for our farming system. For too long that has been characterised by high chemical use, high environmental harm, and high volatility in production costs and food prices. We hope we will see a roadmap that sets out a positive new course that will benefit both the environment and the viability of farm businesses. To lead us to the right destination, it needs clear targets and timeframes to help farmers transition away from reliance on expensive, fossil fuel-derived, environmentally damaging fertilisers and pesticides.

"Support for British horticulture is much welcome – we are too reliant on imported fruit and veg and too many growers are struggling. But we need less intensive livestock farming, especially poultry, and re-integration of livestock into arable farming rotations to provide more nature-friendly nutrients than degrading synthetic fertilisers. This should be part of a huge focus on improving soil health."

The Soil Association also welcomes the commitment to a more sophisticated interpretation of the economic value of agriculture. Under current calculations for Gross Value Added, the wider supply chain isn't considered – if this was changed it would give a more accurate picture of how important the food sector is to the economy, helping government to give it the attention it deserves. 

The charity delivered an organic sector roundtable on the roadmap with Defra last year, and is calling for it to deliver:

• All agricultural land to be farmed agroecologically, including 10% organic farmland in the farmed landscape within the next five to 10 years, supported by an Organic Action Plan for England.
• Investment and support for baselining and monitoring on environmental outcomes, such as through services like Soil Association Exchange, to inform farm decisions.
• Regulation that focuses on businesses right across the supply chains – not just farmers – with action for all those who profit from polluting practices.
• Livestock and arable re-integrated into mixed farming systems.
• Trees integrated into farming systems through agroforestry.
• An end to growth in industrial livestock production – especially intensive poultry which impacts on rivers - with land use policy supporting a shift to a "less but better" approach to meat consumption. 
• More land used to agroecologically produce fruit, veg, beans and pulses, ensuring sustainably produced, whole and minimally processed British food is widely and affordably available.
• Artificial inputs such as synthetic pesticides and fertilisers are minimised. Realistic targets set for the UK, with international commitments to halve impacts of pesticides by 2030 in mind.