Planning for Change: A Whole Farm Approach

Farmers, growers and crofters are operating in an increasingly challenging environment with multiple and sometimes competing demands on land use.

In addition to food production, these can include nature restoration, climate mitigation and adaptation, peatland restoration, flood management, woodland creation and renewable energy generation.

From 2025 the Scottish Government will phase in a new requirement for all farms and crofts in receipt of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments to complete a Whole Farm Plan, to help identify ways to make farms and crofts more efficient, productive and profitable.

Whole Farm Plans allow the impact of a farm or croft to be measured, with a particular focus on:

• Emissions associated with a business
• Environmental condition of farms and crofts
• Health and welfare of livestock
• Use of fertilisers and pesticides.

The Soil Association recognises that a whole farm approach is a key factor in supporting a shift towards more sustainable farming – building resilience to economic and climate shocks while delivering public goods, reducing GHG emissions, increasing carbon sequestration and enhancing biodiversity.

We are therefore delighted to announce the launch of our new programme: Planning for Change: A Whole Farm Approach, which will support farmers to implement and benefit from using the Whole Farm Plan framework.

If you would like to find out more and/or take part in this programme, keep an eye on our events page, and/or sign up for our monthly newsletter.

The project will also explore how the Whole farm planning framework can be used to transition towards more regenerative and agroecological approaches, supporting uptake and implementation.

Whole farm planning (WFP) can provide a decision-making framework that takes the entire holding and its assets into consideration, integrating the different enterprises on farm and making the most of available resources – which can deliver environmental and economic co-benefits. It can also ensure that ecologically sound practices on one part of the farm are not compromised by intensive practices on another.

Knowledge-exchange programme

The activities in the project will be applied to a range of farming and crofting types, and use interactive and case study approaches to illustrate how WFPs work, the individual elements that are used to inform the plan, e.g. soil analyses, IPM plans, biodiversity and carbon audits, animal health and welfare plans, and how a plan can be used to consider economic, environmental and social impacts of the farm and set clear objectives.

We will be running a series of free-to-attend in-person events and webinars, and producing case studies and useful resources, highlighting the value of a WFP approach - promoting its use as a decision-making framework to take stock of the enterprises and assets of a farm or croft, and setting clear objectives that make the most of available resources to deliver whole-system co-benefits.

The key objectives to achieve this are to:

• Provide a range of opportunities for peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and support
• Use a range of formats to illustrate what a whole farm planning process can look like across a range of farm, croft and enterprise types
• Increase farmer understanding of the concepts of agroecological, regenerative and sustainable farming, and how these approaches can be implemented in an integrated, adaptive way
• Produce and disseminate a range of resources to support uptake of these approaches.

As a result of engaging with the project, we want participants to:

• Have an increased understanding of whole farm planning and agroecological approaches, and the range of potential economic and environmental benefits associated with these
• Feel confident to undertake a whole farm plan or elements of it, and how to look at their farm system as a whole
• Feel inspired to implement changes towards more integrated, sustainable management.

These objectives will support the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture ambition for a 'whole farm approach' to help deliver on climate and nature goals.

Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said:
“The Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund supports the agriculture sector to realise the wealth of innovation and skills within it and find practical ways to share these on-farm improvements with the wider community. [This project ] will also help farmers and crofters access resources and develop skills in areas that build towards our targets to reach net zero and better manage resources.

“I extend my thanks to all who applied to KTIF this year for their diverse and inspired proposals, and for their continued engagement with the scheme.”

Useful resources

• Planning for change: The role of Whole Farm Plans in the agricultural transition: A whole farm approach is key to the transition to more sustainable farming – but what does that look like on farm, and how can it be better supported by agricultural policy? In this report, we explore the concept of ‘Whole Farm Plans’, attempt to define best practice, and provide policy recommendations for UK governments.
• Reducing inputs/Integrated Pest Management: Check out the resources from our recent programme.
• Soil Association Exchange: Soil Association Exchange helps farmers unlock the financial benefits of regenerative land use and sustainable farming practices.

If you would like to find out more and/or take part in this programme, keep an eye on our events page, and/or sign up for our monthly newsletter.

We will be producing online resources to complement the activities:

• Case studies
• Video
• Practical Resources/How to Guides
• Blogs

This project is funded by The Scottish Government through the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF) which supports projects that promote skills development or deliver improvements in business practice, resource efficiency, environmental performance and sustainability.