'Nature doesn't do monocultures'

For more than a decade, nature markets have promised wadges of new cash for farmers, promising them financial security as they work to bridge the regenerative transition and restore natural infrastructure. But while many land managers are ready to supply carbon or nature credits, the demand simply hasn't scaled, and the market that does exist is hard to navigate. So, where are we now, and what's the future for nature markets?ffinlo Costain is joined by Luke Baldwin, Chief Executive of Nature Broking - Lucy Jenner, Head of Natural Capital Consultancy at Savills - and Alastair Grizzell, former Head of Nat Cap at Zora Ecosystems, and now Commercial Director at Ark Intelligence & Events.

Huskvac - the UK’s only licensed lungworm vaccine - will be discontinued after 2027. The British Cattle Veterinary Association says that this announcement comes at precisely the wrong moment, when UK cattle farming is increasingly adopting Integrated Parasite Management, of which Huskvac is a cornerstone. ffinlo Costain is joined by Rob Howe from Farm Beneficials and Helen Rogers from Friars Moor Livestock Health.

UK governments spend around £4 billion a year on farming and nature, but we need a further £4-10 billion a year just to hit our nature and environment targets. Meanwhile, £11 trillion is managed by the UK's investment industry, and the gap is a rounding error by comparison. So how do we get more of that capital flowing into nature recovery and agroecological food and farming systems?ffinlo Costain is joined by Isabelle Cadignan, Co-Lead on Climate Risk & Resilience at Howden Insurance Brokers - by Annabel Ross, Director of Capital Markets Sustainability for Lloyds Banking Group - by Eoin Murray, the Chief Investment Officer at Rebalance Earth - and by Tom Pycraft, the founder of Ark Events.

ffinlo Costain (8point9) talks to Martin Lines (Nature Friendly Farming Network). Martin has been with the Conservatives in Birmingham, lobbying MPs and activists on behalf of food, farming and nature. The pair discuss:A more confident Conservative party?Plans to abolish Natural England and the Environment Agency"Fewer rules" versus environmental outcomesDo the Tories have a new policy on SFI?More development, less emphasis nature?Anti-solar, anti stacking? Net zero and carbon marketsInheritance tax

Has 'regen' become toxic - is it how we save the world, or just a niche type of farming that's been hijacked by corporate food businesses?To investigate, ffinlo Costain is joined by Baroness Minette Batters, Member of the House of Lords, farmer, former NFU president and author of Harvest: A farmer's story of heritage, home and hope - and by Clare Hill, a regen farmer and co-founder of Roots to Regeneration, a transition accelerator programme for farmers and professionals.

ffinlo Costain (8point9) talks to Martin Lines (Nature Friendly Farming Network). Martin has spent three days (and nights) lobbying Labour MPs and activists on behalf of food, farming and nature. Find out the key themes and what was said behind the scenes.Labour's conference theme was "Hope Again". How does that mood music translate into action for food, farming and nature. Labour's return to its rural roots.Food resilience, security, and El Niño.The Great British Grid as a rural opportunity. Growth in every (rural) postcode.Public procurement and diet.The SFI fallout. Finance joining the dots. How NFFN lobbying actually works.

In this episode of Martin's Farm on the Farm Gate podcast, ffinlo Costain speaks to Martin Lines (Chief Exec, Nature Friendly Farming Network) and Holly Purdey (National Trust tenant at Horner Farm, Somerset, and NFFN England Vice Chair).They discuss:The debacle of England's Sustainable Farming IncentiveHow to embed resilience and adaptability into farm businessesWhat Martin found out at the Liberal Democrat ConferenceWhole farm agreements and outcome-based paymentsFarm Nutrient PlansAnd the coming impacts of the biggest El Niño ever recorded

20 years ago, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) promised African governments a transformation: subsidise fertiliser, promote commercial seed, mechanise production and open the door to private investment, and yields would rise, farmers would prosper, and hunger would fall. AGRA's promise has now been tested against nearly 20 years of national data — and, according to a new report from the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), it has failed on its own terms.To discuss the report, AGRA's failure, its dangerous grip on African food security, and the alternative offered by agroecology, ffinlo Costain is joined by Dr Million Belay, the Co-ordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, who's based in Ethiopia, and by Michael Farrelly, a consultant to AFSA, who lives in Senegal.Read more on this subject here: https://8point9.com/africas-food-must-be-grown-by-african-farmers/

ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) is joined by Tom Pycraft (Ark Events), Jimmy Woodrow (Pasture for Life), and Sue Pritchard (Food, Farming and Countryside Commission). They discuss food system risk and reflection on the discussion and outcomes from the UK's first Conference on Food & National Security.For the key takeaways from the conference - Click the link or scroll down (https://8point9.com/key-takeaways-from-conference-on-food-national-security/) * The UK’s food system is a national security threat -Centralised processing, fossil fuel dependency, ecological degradation and import reliance create exploitable points of failure that weaken the UK’s resilience and increase strategic risk.* Resilience must replace efficiency as the organising principle of the food system - The shift from “just-in-time” supply chains to “just-in-case” value networks was a recurring theme throughout the day, with preparedness needing to sit alongside productivity and efficiency.* We must recognise nature and agroecology as strategic defence assets - Healthy soils, biodiversity and farming systems that work with nature reduce dependence on imported inputs and fossil fuels while strengthening food security, water cycling and long-term national resilience.* The missing middle is as important as the farm - Regional processing, storage, distribution and retail infrastructure are essential to rebuilding resilient place-based food economies and reducing reliance on fragile, centralised supply chains.* Britain needs practical food emergency preparedness - Local authorities, businesses and communities should work in partnership and develop clear plans and the capability to feed people during major disruptions, whether lasting days, weeks or years.* NATO Article 3 provides a powerful framework for action - Civilian resilience is a core NATO commitment, creating a strong policy opportunity to recognise distributed food systems, and natural infrastructure as key defence assets.* The capital exists - the challenge is creating investable opportunities - With UK investment managers overseeing around £10 trillion, the barriers are not a lack of capital but clear policy signals, investable projects and regulatory certainty.* The energy transition offers a blueprint for food and nature - Renewables accelerated when security, policy and investment aligned. The same conditions are now needed to unlock investment in resilient food systems and natural infrastructure.* Stronger food systems strengthen national and global stability - Building resilient food systems can reduce the risk of food insecurity, conflict and migration, while strengthening economy and society both at home and internationally.* The opportunity to act is now - This focus on defence, resilience and national preparedness presents a unique opportunity to place food, farming and nature at the heart of UK security policy, supported by collaboration across government, finance, farming, industry and civil society.Thank you to our hosts and sponsors: Howden, Saffery, and Savills. To our Founding Patron: Marian Boswall. And to our remarkable panellists and speakers.

In central London, on September the 8th, Farm Gate and Ark Events will host the UK's first Conference on Food and National Security. The conference will uniquely deal with the subjects of food, nature and national security - because ecological and defence vulnerabilities, driven by our food system itself, go beyond simply food security and resilience.We will be discussing food security, resilience and emergency preparedness - but the key focus will be food system driven insecurity. We'll be talking about what changes are necessary to improve Britain's defence, and structural deterrence. ffinlo Costain is joined by three of conference panellists to help set the scene: Lt General Richard Nugee (member of the Ministerial Climate and Security Taskforce)Adele Jones (farmer and regenerative food and agriculture leader)Mike Gooding (Farming Systems Director for AHDB)The conference is sponsored by Savills and Saffery - and by Howden, which is kindly providing the conference venue.