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Grants for farmers and land managers
Potential applicants: please note that the programme closes in March 2025. We are now in the process of allocating the last grants with limited funds remaining. If you would like to apply, please contact us to check if sufficient funds are still available, and to request an application pack.
- Call: Scott Brown on 07841 663 601 or Oliva Blackwell on 07732 901 130
- Email: farming@cotswolds-nl.org.uk
For full details about eligibility, funding criteria and payment rates, please read:
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What is Farming in Protected Landscapes?
The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme is a part of Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan. It offers grants of up to £250,000 to farmers and land managers in National Landscapes (AONBs), National Parks and the Broads.
The programme funds one-off projects, delivered by farmers land managers, that:
- support nature recovery
- mitigate the impacts of climate change
- provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage
- protect or improve the quality and character of the landscape or place
FiPL was developed by Defra with the support of National Landscape and National Park teams from across England. The programme runs until March 2025, by which time all funded activities must be complete.
Grants can cover capital and revenue costs, up to 100% in exceptional cases.
Funded projects must deliver measurable outcomes under the themes of climate, nature people and place (see below for the full list of these), but there’s a lot of flexibility in how this may be achieved. It’s not a prescriptive scheme. Potential applicants are invited to propose their own ideas, usually in response to specific needs and interests.
Achievements to date…
Since the programme launched in July 2021, we’ve allocated over £4m to more than 140 projects in the Cotswolds.
We’re very pleased with how well the farming community has engaged with the programme, with hundreds of enquiries representing a good range of farm types, sizes and locations. Applicants have impressed us with the breadth of their project ideas in response to the themes of climate, nature, people and place.
Feedback has also been very positive: farmers appreciate the programme’s flexibility and efficient local administration, including the provision of local advisors who offer support throughout the application and claims process.
Other protected landscapes have shared similar experiences. The programme is considered a great success nationally, leading Defra to significantly increase the funding available and extend the programme by one year, having originally planned to close FiPL in March 2024.
More details about the programme’s interim evaluation findings can be found here: https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/28/farming-in-protected-landscapes-interim-evaluation-findings/
What happens next…
As we work towards the end of the programme, we will continue to support the dozens of live agreement holders still delivering their projects. We will showcase some of the the programme’s success more widely by highlighting the great work being done by farmers and land managers in the Cotswolds.
We also plan to continue working closely with the farming community after the programme closes. We will publish details about what this may involve as soon as we have any information to share.
View full list of supported projects here
Case studies
Sainfoin Centre: creating a regenerative farming education hub in the Cotswolds
A Farming in Protected Landscapes grant enabled ambitious fourth generation farmer Stephanie Ackrill and her father, Ian Boyd, to create a vibrant and modern educational regenerative farming hub in the heart of the Cotswolds.
The grant enabled a rundown farm building to be rebuilt into a welcoming, high quality multi-function space. The farm tracks were also upgraded so that tours of the farm can be offered all year round.
Sandy Hill Farm: Mob-grazing infrastructure
New entrant farmers Matt and Laura Elliott applied for a Farming in Protected Landscapes grant to install equipment to pump, store, and run water from a natural source on their farm. They also installed a mains-powered ‘hot-wire’ which feeds a system of temporary electric fencing. These two infrastructure improvements make their very low-input and nature-friendly farming system more flexible and resilient.
Cotswold Farm Park
This well-known and popular visitor attraction was supported by Farming in Protected Landscapes to significantly improve accessibility across their site. These improvements open up the farm Park to a broader range of visitors, making it more welcoming for people with disabilities, access requirements, and children with special educational needs.
Cornwell Estate and Wild Oxfordshire
Wild Oxfordshire applied to Farming in Protected Landscapes for a grant to create new river channels, reedbeds and other high-value habitats on 17 hectares of land along the Chipping Norton Brook. The results are an increase in carbon storage and improved resilience to flood risk, and an improvement in water quality. Consequently, more birds and wildlife are returning to the site.
Bruern Farms
The resilience of Bruern Farms is much improved after a Farming in Protected Landscapes grant part-funded grain milling and processing equipment, and a game larder to enable direct sales to the customer from regenerative farming. The enterprise has created new jobs and supplies artisan bakeries.