As the UK faces its driest spring since the 1950s – bringing water shortages, crop stress, and escalating wildfire risks – Nature Friendly Farming Week (19–25 May) arrives at a crucial moment for British agriculture. This week, farmers across the country are showcasing how nature-friendly farming is critical to building resilience in the face of climate extremes and securing the future of food production.
Organised by the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), this year’s theme highlights farming that delivers far-reaching benefits beyond food, from strengthening rural communities and protecting water supplies to storing carbon and supporting biodiversity.
NFFN CEO Martin Lines said: “Every day without rain pushes crop yields backwards. Water for irrigation is already running low, and farmers are having to make hard decisions about which crops – if any – can be saved. This follows two years of extreme rainfall, which have already impacted production and yields.
“Many farms are reaching breaking point. With no rain, no income, and no clarity from the Government, some farmers are preparing to leave fields empty this autumn. Planting could be delayed or abandoned altogether. That’s not a distant threat. It’s a decision many are facing right now. If support doesn’t come soon, we’ll see less food being grown next year and fewer jobs in rural areas.”
Tom Edmondson, an NFFN farmer who runs a mixed farm near Milton Keynes, said: “Our nature-friendly farming approach – using cover crops, careful grazing, minimal soil disturbance, and years of building organic matter – has made a huge difference. While others around us are really struggling with the dry spring and failing crops, ours are still holding up well.
“You just don’t know what the weather will throw at you year to year. That’s why building resilience into the farming system is absolutely essential.”