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South of England Farming Conference
November 13 @ 6:30 pm - 10:30 pm
The South of England Farming Conference is on Wednesday 13th November 2024 with the theme ‘What is our land for?’ Which will focus on the unique challenges and opportunities related to land use in the South East of England.
The Farming Conference will run from 7.30pm to 9.30pm online. If attending in person, pre- and post-event refreshments and network opportunities will be available from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
Location: South of England Showground, Selsfield Road, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TL.
The South East of England is a microcosm of the broader issues facing the UK. It encompasses bustling urban centres, vast agricultural lands, and areas of significant natural beauty and biodiversity.
The land supports a high population density, a robust economy, and crucial infrastructure. However, this also brings challenges such as housing shortages, environmental degradation, and the impacts of climate change. Moreover, the region’s agricultural land is often of marginal quality, which poses significant challenges for profitable food production when we see increasing pressure on the land and decreasing government support for agriculture. This reality compels us to consider whether the focus should shift from food production to enhancing environmental and biodiversity outcomes. Whether we should embrace the relentless tide of commercial development or resist it at all costs. Where does the balance lie? What is our land for?
BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today presenter Charlotte Smith will be chairing and will be joined by a distinguished panel of leaders in their fields – Paul Christian, Managing Director, Sentry; Tom Heap, journalist and author; Tim Slaney, Interim Chief Executive Officer, South Downs National Park Authority and Ben Taylor, Managing Director, Iford Estate.
