Legacy Farming: The Movement Towards Improved Biodiversity

Legacy as Stewardship – Farming for the Future

Traditionally, “legacy farming” conjures images of family-run farms handed down from one generation to the next with all the associated heritage, stability and pride. In many parts of rural England, Wales, and Scotland, this notion remains. But for a growing number of farmers, the term “legacy” is evolving into something more expansive and visionary.

Instead of thinking solely on the farms they have inherited, todays legacy farmers are focusing on what they will leave behind. This means shifting from short-term productivity models to long-term ecological thinking. Farmers are now asking themselves whether what they build is something that will last the test of time or will inevitably need to be deconstructed and improved in years to come.  At a time of toughening financial conditions for farmers, it is also a question as to how improved legacy farming can be implemented, whilst also benefitting farmers financially.

The legacy farming mindset is grounded in resilience rather than exploitation of the land. Legacy farmers seek to view their work as part of a bigger system – one that includes long-lasting soil, protected species and habitats that benefit the land, healthy rivers and biodiversity, and the future generations that will tend the land.

Regenerative Practices: The Heart of Modern Legacy Farming

At the centre of this movement is regenerative agriculture – a system of farming principles that extend beyond sustaining the land, aiming instead to restore, renew, and energise.

Rather than treating soil as an output of produce, regenerative farmers are looking at it as a living ecosystem that must be nourished and protected.

Regenerative and sustainable practices can include:

• Soil regeneration: Using cover crops, compost, and rotational grazing to build healthy, carbon-rich soil.
• Biodiversity encouragement: Planting native species, maintaining hedgerows, and creating wildlife corridors to bring balance back to ecosystems. Farmers may want to discover the new Biodiversity Net Gain initiative and how they can benefit from this.

With the introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements, farms and estates are uniquely positioned to deliver measurable ecological improvements while unlocking new income streams. Our team works collaboratively to develop strategies that align environmental ambition with economic strength – ensuring that each decision contributes to a meaningful and lasting legacy.

• Holistic grazing: Mimicking natural air movements to improve soil fertility and reduce methane emissions.
• Water resilience: Building ponds, wetlands, and natural buffers to manage water responsibly and prevent the likelihood of waterlog or flooding.
• Low input methods: Reducing dependency on chemical fertilisers, pesticides and heavy machinery where possible.

The methods above can cultivate a legacy farm, consisting of healthy soil which retains water and stores more carbon that has a higher quality output. Maintaining a biodiverse farm which supports bees and pollinators will strengthen local ecosystems and reduce the strain on the land naturally. Most importantly, these methods prepare farms for the changing climate – making them more resilient to floods, droughts, and unpredictable weather patterns.  Through BNG schemes, farmers can also receive significant funds for putting their land to use for more regenerative and legacy methods.

Examples of Regenerative Legacy Farming in Practice

The transition to regenerative legacy farming is taking place in many forms, shaped by the land, resources, and community available for each farm. Across the UK, a number of landowners and farming groups are demonstrating how ecological principles can guide practical, productive agriculture.

In rural Wales, the Scottish Highlands, and parts of East Anglia, smaller farms are shifting toward mixed enterprises that integrate livestock, heritage grains, legumes, orchards, and even rewilded areas. These operations often blend old and new – using traditional grazing methods alongside solar installations or direct-to-consumer tech platforms. They hold a shared commitment to land regeneration, local farmers resilience, and climate adaptation.

These examples are not isolated. They form part of a growing network of farmers and land stewards who are testing new models under real-world pressures – and proving that regeneration and productivity can work hand in hand.

The Challenges Facing Legacy Farmers in the UK

While many farms are excited about this shift, the road to becoming a regenerative or sustainability-focused legacy farm has its challenges, especially in the UK’s current agricultural landscape. From political changes to economic pressure and cultural scepticism towards change, legacy farmers face significant hurdles.

Economic Pressures and Viability

For many farms, especially those that are small, family-ran operations, finances can be limited. Rising costs for inputs like fuel, animal feed, and equipment make profit margins difficultly thin. Aswell as this, the challenges of navigating competitive new markets (e.g., direct-to-consumer sales or alternative income methods) make it tricky for farms to afford to experiment or transition.

The risk of reduced yields during a potential transition to regenerative legacy farming partnered with the upfront costs of new infrastructure like fencing, composting facilities, or cover crops can lead to farmers discrediting the idea completely.

However, farmers can offset these concerns with the financial incentives provided through BNG schemes.

With there being a distinct focus on the housing shortage currently, and house builders being tasked with constructing several million homes over the next decade, the sector is looking to the farming community to potentially assist with construction needs.

As part of the biodiversity net gain requirements for new building projects, housebuilders are required to ensure a minimum of a 10% improvement in the local biodiversity of their projects.  Whilst for a number of schemes this is possible ‘on-site’ BNG, for many plots of land the housebuilders purchase BNG units ‘off-site’ in order to make up the 10% improvement required.

This gives landowners, and particularly farmers with unproductive land, the opportunity to make profitable use of their land to assist housebuilders achieve their goals.  This can tie in with legacy farming and the regeneration of land, as any BNG unit is tied in for 30 years, and attracts a fixed sum payment for its linking to any development project.

Post-Brexit Changes: From CAP to ELMS

In addition to the introduction of BNG, there has been the UK’s departure from the EU which brought with it the phasing out of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – a system that subsidized farmers primarily based on the land area. Its being replaced by the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), which pay farmers for delivering “public goods” such as biodiversity, clean water, and climate benefits.

While the intent behind ELMS aligns with legacy and regenerative farming, its rollout has been uneven and sometimes unclear, creating anxiety for farmers who depend on subsidies to survive.

Some fear that without robust support or clear guidelines, ELMS may only be seen to benefit larger farms which host better resources, leaving smaller legacy farms behind.

The Generational Handoff

The general workforce of farming in the UK is made up of an ageing population. With the average age of farmers being over 59, and many young people leaving rural areas for urban life, the industry is facing a drought of pioneers to take over. Even in circumstances where younger farmers are starting an agricultural venture, they may face tension between innovative ideas and traditional mindsets. It can be difficult for younger farmers to challenge past practices and the ‘way it has always been done’ – especially on generational land.

However, a growing number of young farmers are returning to the land with fresh ideas, often blending ancestral wisdom with modern technology, ecological science, and climate consciousness.

Some are embracing diversification, turning farms into Education centres, Holiday rentals or glamping sites, Farm shops and cafés, and Solar or wind energy hubs. These diversified models are often more financially stable and environmentally adaptable — allowing farmers to earn a living without sacrificing ecological integrity.

Climate Change and Environmental Pressures

UK farmers are among the first to feel the real impacts of climate change. Wetter winters, drier summer, increased flooding, and unpredictable frosts are already reshaping planting schedules and harvest outcomes.

Farming systems that worked reliably for decades are now paying fragile under new environmental conditions. Legacy farmers have no choice but to adapt – and quickly. This makes the regenerative approach more than beneficial, particularly with government and BNG incentives in place to do so, and its becoming more and more necessary for farmers survival.

Environmental Action in Support of Regenerative Farming

Supporting the movement toward regenerative legacy farming requires a shift in how we view agriculture. Farming should no longer be viewed as a separate sector, but as a central player in ecological restoration and climate resilience.

For environmental advocates such as ourselves, this means championing ecosystem-based land use policies, promoting soil as a climate asset, and recognising biodiversity as something that can and should flourish within productive landscapes. Farms can become biodiversity corridors when managed regeneratively, something we are experts in.

There’s also a need to support fair land access and encourage diverse participation in land stewardship – ensuring that we build sustainable ecological legacies.  It is also important that we design biodiversity strategies that incorporate farmland as an active habitat. At Collington Winter, our team of ecological consultants support the diversification of land use in order to guide farmers towards a sustainable legacy, and our ecological experts can assist with assessing any unused land and its suitability for use in biodiversity net gain schemes (as well as quantifying the number of units you could achieve from each area).

By facilitating collaboration between farmers, local authorities and businesses – we can help unlock sources of funding, implement evidence-based monitoring systems, and develop resilient rural strategies. Ultimately, regenerative legacy farming aligns with the goals of the landscape revolution, climate adaptation, and net zero targets – making it a strategic priority for any serious environmental planning initiative.

At Collington Winter Environmental, we support farmers and landowners in identifying new opportunities for sustainable diversification – from habitat creation and land stewardship, to mitigating risk to protected species and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements.

Collington Winter are specialists at helping farmers and landowners unlock the potential of their land through Biodiversity Net Gain. Our team provides in-depth, on-site evaluations to assess potential and identify opportunities where BNG can deliver both environmental and financial value for farmers and landowners. We also support developers in navigating BNG obligations by offering clear guidance and compliance pathways, facilitating the access to off-site biodiversity units.

To explore how your land can contribute to long-term environmental resilience and support your legacy as a steward of both nature and enterprise, get in touch with our team today.

Whether you’re looking to enhance biodiversity through farm diversification or understand the potential of your land under Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), our ecology consultants are here to guide you. Complete the contact enquiry form on this page, email us at info@collingtonwinter.co.uk, or call 01204 939608 to begin building a future-focused, nature-positive land strategy.