The Farming Futures coalition is to receive £250,000 from Defra to enable it for the project to continue raising awareness about the opportunities and threats linked to climate change.
Defra secretary of state Hilary Benn made the announcement this week, and said the initiative is making “a really impressive contribution”.
Farming Futures is a communications collaboration project, managed by Forum for the Future on behalf of the National Farmers’ Union, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), and Applied Research Forum, representing the seven agricultural and horticultural levy boards.
The renewed funding from Defra will allow the project to continue until March 2009, provided the existing partners, or new ones, can also commit to contributing resources.
The move will enable the project to create on-farm workshops and best practice case studies for mitigating and adapting to climate change, translate R&D into practical messages, and develop closer relations with the Rural Climate Change Forum and the Agricultural Industries Confederation, as well as the supply chain.
The pledge will also fund the development of a range of fact sheets already available to farmers and land managers, and allow Farming Futures to continue raising awareness about climate change across the sector.
Katie Zabel, project manager of Farming Futures, said: “We’re delighted that funding has been extended. Farming Futures focuses on translating the science into messages that mean something to farmers and land managers - helping them play their part in tackling and dealing with climate change.”
NFU president Peter Kendall added: “Climate change is an enormous challenge and farmers are ready and able to play a key role in being part of the solution to the problems it poses. Farming Futures has helped raise awareness of what farmers can do to make a difference. Extending its programmes will see further research and development turned into messages to stimulate practical action on the ground and encourage even more farmers to find out how they can play their part.”
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