GET READY FOR THE REVOLUTION

A rosy-cheeked farmer mops his brow and gazes proudly over a field of plump golden wheat. Hens forage in the farmyard, cattle doze in the meadows and bees buzz in the orchard. This romantic idea of farming pervades everything from children’s picture books to food marketing. But the reality of food production is often very di erent.

Since the Second World War, Britain’s farming policy has focused on increasing yields – in other words, producing more – thus providing more a ordable food. Farmers have worked hard for generations to grow for the nation, following the best practice recommended to them at the time. That included using pesticides, fertilisers and heavy machinery.

Globally, conventional farming has succeeded in feeding us cheaply, but agricultural commentators now say there have been unintended consequences that are a ecting the future of both the British countryside and the