To build a socially and environmentally resilient and regenerative food system in a net zero landscape, the Sustainable Farm Networks initiative connects diverse demonstration farm networks across the UK to share experiences, findings and best practice.

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Sustainable Farm Networks

Across the UK, thousands of farm businesses are working with others in trying out new things to be more sustainable, seeing what happens and sharing the results. We know that this has a unique role in improving agricultural sustainability in every sense. The Sustainable Farm Networks (SFN) initiative has been brought about to enable these diverse networks in becoming more than the sum of their parts. 

Working with Network Stewards - the individuals with the most direct and consistent contact with demonstration farms- the SFN supports and enables cooperation and collaboration. This not only enhances the experience and impact of farmer members but influences farm practice at scale through convincing peers, steers research priorities as demonstrates solutions to policy makers.

The SFN is a free to join, pre-competitive, system agnostic forum working with existing knowledge exchange platforms Agricology, FarmPEP and TIAH to amplify successes and highlight challenges. The SFN is shaped by members with the support of a steering group representative of supply chain pioneers, farmer innovators, national bodies, land-based training providers, research experts and environmental certification organisations.

There are currently 36 SFN member networks, representing over 2000 farm demonstrators across hundreds of thousands of Ha spanning all UK sectors, systems and nations. We are open to application from any demonstration farm networks, being three or more holdings coordinating activities to implement in common sustainable farming practices, principles or technologies with the intention of disseminating the resulting collated findings, experiences or information.

The Network Stewards Group meets quarterly and opportunities arising for internal or external collaboration are circulated as a bimonthly noticeboard. Broadcasting of activity and success stories to policy makers and a wider farming audience is through the quarterly 'Snapshot' newsletter.

SFN background and update Winter 25-261.27 MB

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