Farmers in the South East are meeting to discuss the risks and opportunities climate change presents to their businesses.
Organised by Farming Futures, in partnership with the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), the workshop will focus on the regional impacts of climate change, what farmers can do to prepare their businesses and the opportunities provided by anaerobic digestion and other renewable technologies.
Claire Skinner, Farming Futures project manager, said: “Anaerobic digestion is just one of the opportunities that farmers are looking at, contributing to farm income, as well as tackling waste and pollution and climate change at the same time. In some AD units the waste from just three cows can produce enough gas to provide electricity for one household.”
A recent survey by Farming Futures found 37 per cent of South East farmers are already taking action to adapt to the impacts of climate change on their farm. Although this figure is encouraging it is lower than some other regions, so clearly more needs to be done.
The survey results also found that more than half of farmers in the North West believe they are already affected by climate change, and 65 per cent expect to be affected in the next ten years.
Perhaps surprisingly 18 per cent of South East farmers interviewed in the survey think that climate change will present more opportunities than risks to their business.
Farming Futures provides inspiration and information for farmers, land managers and advisors via fact sheets on every farming sector and topical issues such as anaerobic digestion, water and biomass.
Farming Futures is an industry-led collaboration project between the NFU, CLA, AIC, AHRF, Forum for the Future and DEFRA to communicate practical action on climate change.
The workshop takes place on Wednesday 11 February in Clanfield, Oxfordshire.
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