Strength in numbers
The success of Britain’s growing band of Farmer Clusters shows the value in working together and engaging with the public in the name of conservation, says Gabriel Stone
“Farmer Clusters
dispel myths about farming”
IN A WORLD that leans into gloomy headlines, it’s important to wave the flag for a refreshing success story. That’s especially the case when it comes to our overburdened farming sector and the wider way in which we manage the landscape. Yes, we: everyone can play a role, not least through one inspirational initiative. Ever since a 2013 pilot project by the GWCT in association with Natural England, Farmer Clusters have mushroomed across Britain. Led by farmers with guidance from expert advisers, today’s network of about
125 clusters encourages a cohesively managed, locally tailored, larger-scale approach to conservation work.
Farmers may be among the best placed to look after our countryside but the whole community has a stake in it. Although public engagement is not a compulsory element of Farmer Clusters, many groups have seized the opportunity not only to show the positive impact farmers can have on the environment but also to recruit an enthusiastic army of citizen scientists. If you’d like to brush up your butterfly identification skills, build a barn-owl box or spend a morning unearthing evidence of harvest mice, then you might be just the sort of volunteer they could use.
With a family farm of her own, Cath Mason understands the reservations many farmers harbour about letting the general public loose in their field margins. However, as leader of Cranborne Chase Farmer Cluster, which incorporates 19 members and about 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres) on the Dorset-wiltshire border, she is an energetic advocate of the benefits of the scheme and wider community involvement.
“It’s starting to become an expectation,” remarks Mason, who notes Countryside Stewardship applications now ask about Farmer Cluster membership in regards to the Facilitation Fund. “Everyone has become switched on to the fact that you need to be in a cluster if you want access to this funding.” A considerable chunk of that funding is linked to public engagement initiatives. For the Cranborne Chase Farmer Cluster, these have included the provision of a large passenger trailer (with essential seat belts) as well as access to the Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme run by LEAF, the organisation behind Open Farm Sunday. Separate funding created a website (cranbornechasefarmers.org), enabling the group to communicate its work to a wider audience. There has also been money to train volunteers in surveying skills, allowing them to help farmers collect high-quality data samples of flora and fauna.
“In the beginning, our farmers were almost sceptical about getting people involved,” says Mason. “They were worried about a data breach or Natural England slapping an SSSI on their land.” When coordinating volunteer activities, she stresses the importance of responsible behaviour and takes direct ownership of all survey data collected. In return, people enjoy privileged access to their local area, venturing off the footpaths to develop a deeper, constructive relationship with the landscape.
“It’s about capturing that interest,” says Mason. “They feel like part of something bigger.” This is also a perfect forum to engage with farmers on how they manage the land, witness their concern for conservation and share in the effort. “It dispels myths about farming,” observes Mason, but she notes that’s not the only important connection being made at these events. “It’s about people with similar interests getting to know each other and forming their own community.”
A bird-identification training session just ahead of February’s GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count exemplified this approach. The Cranborne Chase Farmer Cluster has also trained its citizen-scientist platoon to survey small mammals, rare arable plants and pollinators. Elsewhere, the focus might be on showing people how to measure water quality or identify and maintain a healthy hedgerow.
It’s not all quadrats and clipboards, however. Earlier this year, Cranborne Chase teamed up with neighbouring groups to host a public talk and Q&A session on the recent reintroduction of white-tailed eagles. More down to earth is a planned supper and screening of documentary film Six Inches of Soil, with cluster members sharing their thoughts on the regenerative farming movement.
There’s so much to celebrate about what these Farmer Clusters have achieved in their first decade. Now people such as Mason are keen to ensure their efforts are seen and shared by the wider rural community. “Don’t be sceptical about public engagement,” she advises. “It’s becoming more and more critical every year.”