LEAF calls for increased industry collaboration and financial support to accelerate the transition to climate-smart agriculture
This year’s LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) Conference brought together industry leaders, academics, farmers and financial experts to address the urgent challenges of sustainable farming in the face of climate change; and the interventions that are most likely to facilitate transformation across the whole food system.
With a strong focus on practical, farmer led solutions, the event explored the latest insights into global perspectives around climate change adaption, the role of agri-tech and the financial services sector in creating the enabling conditions for change.
Delivering the opening address LEAF CEO David Webster reflected on the nature of the environmental risks facing farming, including the impact of climate change.
He called for a mature debate stating that: “We need to listen carefully to those who are already delivering environmental and productivity gains on farms as a basis to shape our approach which will balance environmental and food security outcomes. It’s also important to remember that global challenges require local solutions.
“We have to work with the supply chain actors to harness the knowledge and expertise of farmers operating in partnership with others to build farm resilience and economic and environmental benefits.”
Webster also highlighted LEAF’s remarkable growth, driven largely through increased retailer adoption of LEAF Marque certification to accelerate their own sustainability targets.
He said that as of January 2025, there were 2,670 LEAF Marque Certified members (38 per cent in the UK and 62 per cent based internationally across 48 countries), with an impressive 80 per cent year on year growth.
Delivering this year’s LEAF Lecture Dr Douglas Gurr, director, The Natural History Museum, shared insight into the historical records and current impacts of climate change and underscored the need to protect land and oceans by 2030 to preserve biodiversity. He highlighted alarming data on ocean acidification, revealing a 30 per cent increase in ocean acidity over the past 30 years – with a clear message that “We have to stabilise the level of atmospheric CO2 before it’s too late”.
He stated that the single most important question about protecting nature is ‘Where’ – making the point those areas of the globe that are most productive will have to be prioritised. He concluded on a note of optimism saying that “things are moving in the right direction and that advances in technology for example, AI and satellite mapping, are, for the first time, starting to give us multilocational observations of what’s really going on – and once you get that, then you can start to make a massive difference.”
The second keynote speaker, Sarah Bradbury, CEO, The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), addressed IGD’s Net Zero strategy and the huge opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of the UK food system.
She said: “We need to work together on agriculture, energy, refrigeration, transportation and packaging”, emphasising the need for low-carbon fertilisers, heat recovery systems, and renewable energy adoption, while noting that achieving net zero would require investment and could lead to an increase in food prices. She also stressed the necessity of government policy support, industry collaboration, and improved data collection to drive meaningful change.
Another key theme of this year’s conference was the importance of green finance in supporting the transition to more climate-smart land management approaches. Amidst the escalating recognition of the global imperative to address environmental challenges, green finance has emerged as a compelling tool for propelling sustainable development.
A panel talk ‘Enabling Green Finance for Sustainable Farming’, with speakers from HSBC UK, Muzinich & Co and Oxbury Bank plc, examined the role of financial services in supporting the adoption of more sustainable agriculture and the need for better data collection and cross-industry collaboration.
Nick Evans Co-Founder, managing director, Oxbury Bank Plc announced the launch of the Oxbury Transition Facility a new globally unique product incentivising farmers who are transitioning or who intend to transition – evidenced through schemes such as LEAF Marque, with rates as low as 1% over base.
The conference concluded with a call to action for increased industry collaboration and financial support to accelerate the transition to climate-smart agriculture.
LEAF’s annual hybrid conference, chaired by BBC journalist, author and broadcaster Tom Heap, was held on 6 February in London and attended by 576 people.
