As climate change brings ever more extreme weather conditions, farmers are left counting the cost. Storms, floods, and droughts have a devastating impact on farm businesses as well as impacting on our food security.  

Extreme heavy rainfall in the south of England recently saw farmers who had suffered losses hitting the headlines once again. Andrew Robinson, an arable farmer in the Toddington area of Bedfordshire, told how he expects his newly planted wheat and barley crop to fail because of the deluge. Another farmer in Herefordshire reported that his feed shed flooded and the grass seed that he had just planted had been washed away. In Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, there were reports of local residents coming out in force to help save farm animals stranded by heavy flooding.  

These weather issues are far from new. Farmers in England suffered huge losses due to record amounts of rainfall between September 2023 and May 2024. The resulting flooding left thousands of acres of productive farmland under water, impacting severely on farm finances and the ability to grow food.  

Partnering to improve rural flood resilience  

As the need to mitigate climate change and deal with its effects becomes more urgent, a new cross-industry partnership has been launched, aimed at helping farmers and rural communities in England adapt to flood risks.  

The Rural Flood Resilience Partnership (RFRP) consists of six key organisations: the NFU, the Country Land and Business Association, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Action with Communities in Rural England, and the Association of Drainage Authorities. The partnership’s objectives will be to: 

• Develop an evidence base to inform decision-making on flood resilience 

• Provide good quality advice and support to rural communities and landowners 

• Engage rural communities in flood resilience projects. 

Each organisation in the partnership brings its own expertise in land and water management, nature-based solutions, and community engagement. It’s hoped that by joining forces, the partnership can achieve more than any one organisation could achieve alone. The culmination of the partnership’s work will be the development of a comprehensive plan to improve flood resilience, providing farmers and rural communities with practical advice and evidence-based solutions.  

The collaboration of key partners to find solutions to the increasing problem of climate-related flooding is undoubtedly a positive step forward. However, NFU Vice President Rachel Hollas says that farm businesses affected by flooding are in dire need of support and highlighted that the NFU are awaiting details from Defra on what help will be available from the Farming Recovery Fund.  

Sources:  

https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/weather/partnership-launched-to-build-flood-resilience-on-farms 

https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/weather/biblical-rainfall-washes-away-newly-drilled-crops 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c14zkrddrxmt