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Toolkit to help farmers access financial support

We are developing the first grassland-specific toolkit to help farmers restore more species-rich grasslands and access alternative forms of finance.

Cows grazing in a field

Species-rich grasslands can deliver enormous benefits for wildlife, biodiversity and the climate. With approximately 97% of the UK’s species-rich grassland lost in less than a century, we are working with farmers to protect and restore them.

Supporting smaller farms, with less resources, is a great opportunity to support food production and the restoration of grassland.

In this project, we will lead partners in creating a toolkit with funding from the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) to complete the ‘Realising grassland potential: an ecosystems services toolkit for farmers’ project.

 

Ranscombe Farm Landscape

What is the project?

In this project, we will develop the first grassland-specific ecosystem services toolkit, with a focus on smaller farms. It will explore the types of grass, soil, grazing and cutting regimes and provide farmers with advice on how to engage effectively with emerging private finance opportunities – to help their transition to a more regenerative grassland management approach.

Smaller farms produce significantly lower farm business incomes, which can be a barrier to engaging in the nature market as they don’t have the resources to pay for surveys and planning. So, this toolkit will provide an accessible tool to help farmers make informed decisions.

Through this, we will also showcase how species-rich grassland can deliver ecosystem services.

a field of grass field with a variety of flowers in pink, purple, yellow and white

What will the impact be?

A mechanism, like this toolkit, will help more people understand the importance of species-rich grassland as a source of ecosystem services. It will also support farmers to more easily access funding to protect, restore, create and manage this valuable habitat.
We also hope the project will lead to greater recognition of the important role farming can play in maintaining the ecosystem functions of grasslands.
We will also be working with farmers to understand their concerns, ambitions and considerations for land use. Once completed, this toolkit will be piloted by farmers in England, which we will continue to monitor and support.

We are working in partnership to produce this toolkit with our partners Floodplain Meadows Partnership, Finance Earth, National Landscape Association and Pasture for Life. Advisory partners in the project include Nature Friendly Farming Network, Soil Association, Soil Association Exchange, Natural England and UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Logos - Plantlife, NEIRF, Defra, Ea and NE

Our grasslands work

Transforming Britain’s Road Verges
UK, GrasslandPyramidal orchid on the verge in Dorset.

Transforming Britain’s Road Verges

Plantlife is bringing about a transformation in the way Britain’s road verges are managed, with the aim of at least 50% of verges being managed as species-rich grassland.

Meadow Makers
England, GrasslandA meadow on a sunny day.

Meadow Makers

Meadow Makers is a partnership project, led by Plantlife, that restored over 400 hectares of species-rich grassland across England and involved over 12,000 people in meadow making.

Local Councils and No Mow May
UK, GrasslandClose up of wildflowers taken on verge with a road in the distance.

Local Councils and No Mow May

To restore our native wildflowers, councils need to make long-term commitments to transforming their management of road verges. Have a look at the amazing work done by local authorities.