Food Security is National Security: can regenerative agriculture help fortify the UK?

At the Groundswell regenerative agriculture festival, held last week in the heart of Hertfordshire's vibrant farming community, a critical theme emerged that resonates deeply with farmers, rural professionals, and policymakers alike: food security. Even before coming into office (see the Labour party’s 2024 manifesto) this government has consistently stated that “food security is national security”. It’s more important now than ever, on both a national and household level.

Why Is food security a growing priority for the UK?

In what the Prime Minister describes as an “era of radical uncertainty”, the stakes are high. Climate change is reshaping our environment with unprecedented extreme weather - England has just recorded its hottest June on record, while Scotland currently faces flood alerts. The Met Office, including Food Security science lead Dr Pete Falloon, who also spoke at Groundswell, warns of increasingly frequent and intense weather events in the future. Meanwhile, the global economy faces turbulent times, with the World Bank cautioning against "substantial headwinds" and deteriorating prospects for most economies across the globe. Geopolitical tensions add another layer of complexity, evidenced by significantly increased defence spending commitments at the NATO summit at the end of June and media speculation as to whether we are moving towards a “war footing”.  

All these factors impact food security. Climate change, nature loss including declining soil health and water insecurity all impact the area of land that can be planted and the ultimate crop yields.  That reduces what and how much we can grow in the UK and what can be grown elsewhere. The latest UK Food Security Report (released earlier this year) details a UK production-to-supply ratio of 62% for all food and 75% for those foods that can be grown in the UK.

The food needs that can’t be met by domestic production must be imported.  Importing isn’t in itself an indication of food insecurity.  Trade can and does provide a robust supply chain, including a more diverse range of produce than we can grow in the UK. In recent years the UK’s supply chain has proven reasonably resilient to the major geopolitical shock of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the health crisis of the covid pandemic and the economic and logistical challenges presented by the UK’s departure from the EU.  Each has had an impact, but not a catastrophic one.  However, climate change is a global issue so there may be less available to import in future.  Further, trade and import reliance carries an inherent vulnerability to volatility in global markets and to geopolitical events.  Even if supply can be maintained, volatility and scarcity increase cost.  Household budgets in the UK are already feeling the pressure of high inflation which has already resulted in a small but concerning decline in the proportion of food secure households in the UK (from 92% in the financial year ending 2020 to 90% in the financial year ending 2023).

That raises a question as to how many simultaneous shocks and stresses our supply chain can take – and the financial cost of weathering those shocks.

What can the UK do to improve food security?

Increased self-sufficiency could help mitigate the economic and geopolitical risks threatening food security. By reducing imports, we become less vulnerable to global market volatility and geopolitical shocks.  However, both the productivity and sustainability of food production rely on key natural capital assets: biodiversity, healthy soil and availability of clean water, which have been in long-term decline in the UK.  

This means that to achieve long-term "home-grown" food production, sustainability must be at the forefront, prioritising soil health and environmental stewardship. The heavy reliance on chemical fertilisers can be detrimental to soil fertility, while rising fuel and machinery costs make intensive farming methods increasingly expensive. ADAS reports a staggering 44% increase in UK farm input costs between December 2019 and May 2024.

Could regenerative agriculture provide a solution?

What Is regenerative agriculture and how can it help UK food security?

Regenerative agriculture means adaptably farming with nature rather than against it. Groundswell champions five core principles that contribute to food security and climate resilience:

Don’t disturb the soil

Healthy soil is the bedrock of resilient farming. Reducing tillage retains soil carbon, improves water infiltration, and reduces erosion, which is crucial as weather patterns grow more extreme. Less disturbance also means lower fuel use and input costs.

Cover the soil surface

Bare soil is susceptible to damage from heavy rain or intense heat, losing moisture, structure, and fertility. Ground cover protects the soil, suppresses weeds, and supports biodiversity, reducing runoff and nutrient loss.

Keep living roots in the soil

Living roots feed soil microbes and build organic matter, enhancing the soil’s capacity to store water and nutrients. This resilience offers flexibility for farmers amidst unpredictable weather.

Grow a diverse range of crops

Monocultures are risky in a changing climate. Crop diversity breaks pest and disease cycles, enhances soil biology, and opens doors to alternative markets as consumer demand shifts.

Bring back grazing animals

Managed livestock can regenerate soil and close nutrient loops, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers and supporting a circular system.

How could wider use of regenerative agriculture build UK farming resilience?

Regenerative agriculture is about more than soil health; it strengthens ecosystems, communities, and business models.  Anecdotally, regenerative farmers are achieving some fantastic results in terms of yield, profit margin and environmental improvements. The downside is that crucial mindset shift, transitional costs and teething problems and the difficulty of moving radically away from an established status quo.

What needs to happen next to strengthen UK food security?

For farmers to invest in and scale regenerative practices, they need proper long-term recognition, including financial compensation, for the ecological "public good" they provide in terms of flood resilience, soil fertility, and positive environmental outcomes, and – critically - assurance that funding will remain in place.  They also need transitional support, and policy and legislation that works with them not against them.

Speaking at Groundswell Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed suggested that policy and support frameworks would be a “co-production” between Defra and the farming community – which isn’t a bad place to start. The first step there, however, is likely to be for Defra to work to regain trust after the abrupt Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) suspension earlier in the year.

Reed appeared to see the SFI as a potential vehicle for transition funding once it reopens at an unspecified time next year.  Post-transition support might come via increased Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) funding, offering a path toward greater food security and sustainability.

We need clarity and detail on the government’s vision for farming and constructive engagement with the community to ensure plans are practical and realistic.  Once we have a clearer road map, it’s likely to be time to consider amending and updating the Agriculture Act 2020.  I’d welcome more explicit transparency requirements, more frequent food security reporting requirements and implementation of some safeguards around a baseline of financial assistance.

As a final thought, recognising Defra’s budgetary constraints, if we accept the government’s statement that food security is national security, could the government allocate part of the increased defence budget committed at the NATO summit at the end of June to support regenerative agriculture?

As the sector navigates these turbulent times, Field Notes will be watching closely.

Field Notes is Charles Russell Speechlys’ weekly agricultural law blog, sharing plain-English insight into the legal and policy issues affecting agriculture, land and rural business life. From hints and tips on avoiding agricultural disputes, pitfalls to keep an eye out when planning for tenancy or family agri-business succession, to the latest agricultural legislative or policy changes and the most interesting farm-related court decisions, Field Notes makes the complex more understandable, always grounded in the realities of life on (and off) the land.  

Next week: Is the Government’s vision for farming coming into focus yet?