We influence Government on the development of sustainable land use policies and programmes and advise on their effective implementation at national, regional and local levels.

Land Use Policy in England

Mitchell Field, Derbyshire.
Farming and forestry are responsible for the appearance of about 80% of our countryside.


We work to influence a range of policies which impact on rural land use.  The most significant of these is the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) and its replacement Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which runs from 2007 to 2013, within which our main focus is on:

  • Agri-Environment Schemes -  working with Defra to ensure that Environmental Stewardship delivers benefits for the landscape and public access, building on the legacy of previous Agri-Environment Schemes (Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas)
  • Hill Farming  - to ensure a viable future for the uplands.
  • English Woodland Grant Scheme - to promote multiple objectives from woodland creation and management.
  • Integration - of the range of schemes to deliver added benefits for the countryside.                                           

Meeting regional and local needs and aspirations is key to effective policy delivery.  In support of this, we are actively involved in the development and delivery of:

  • Regional Sustainable Food and Farming Strategies.
  • Regional Forestry Frameworks.
  • New ways to provide integrated advice and support;
    - Testing new approaches to integrated farm advice through a number of our Land Management Initiatives
    - Support for the Woodland Initiatives Co-ordinator.
    - Supporting the development of a new and innovative Land Management Information System.
    - Input into Defra's Learning, Skills and Knowledge Review.
  • Targeting statements for agri-environment schemes that take full account of access and landscape.  

The research note - "Integrated advice to farmers and other land managers" is available to order and presents the key findings of work to identify the potential benefits of integrated, as opposed to sectoral, advice in helping farmers to think in a 'whole farm' manner to deliver a sustainable mix of public benefits allied to profitable food production.                                    

Testing new ideas is an important part of what we do.  We are currently working to:

  • See if the range of funding streams and mechanisms in rural areas can be streamlined and focused on delivering public benefits in a joined up way;
  • Explore how frameworks can best be developed to establish priorities for sustainable land management across specified geographical areas, combining Government targets, the views specialist organisations and the wishes of local communities and the general public;
  • Establish what contribution forestry can make to rural development through the South West Forest project. 
  • Developing proposals for a foresight project which will consider change over a 20-50 year horizon and the implications for the English landscape.