Morning, Tuesday, 16th March 2027
Online
This conference will consider next steps for climate adaptation and food security across farming and the agri-food sector in England. Areas for discussion will include adaptation planning, water and land management, investment and risk-sharing, innovation, and supply chain resilience.
Adaptation planning, policy & delivery
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to examine priorities for strengthening climate resilience and food security. Discussion will take place in the context of the Government’s planning for a minimum 2°C rise in global temperatures above pre-industrial levels by 2050, and the development of measurable adaptation objectives for the Fourth National Adaptation Programme, due in 2028. Delegates will discuss implementation of the Farming Roadmap 2050, the findings of the Climate Change Committee’s Fourth Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk, and lessons from the ongoing drought.
Attendees will assess practical requirements for translating long-term adaptation objectives into action and investment, and the respective roles of government, farmers and the wider food supply chain in supporting resilience, domestic food production and farm profitability.
Water resilience & land use
The planned agenda will assess priorities for strengthening resilience to drought, flooding, heat, pests and diseases, and changing growing conditions. This includes approaches to water abstraction and irrigation, on-farm storage, soil health, natural flood management, investment in resilient infrastructure, and preparing for climate and market shocks. Attendees will consider implications of the Land Use Framework for England and delivery of 30by30, alongside approaches to managing the interaction between food production, nature recovery and other demands on land.
Investment, finance & risk-sharing
Discussion will also examine how the costs and risks of adaptation should be shared between government, farmers and the wider supply chain, including the role of public support, lenders, insurers, retailers and processors, and the development of private and blended finance models, looking at accessibility for small and tenant farms and implications for affordability for producers and consumers.
Innovation, supply chain resilience, monitoring & sector coordination
Further sessions will examine the role of innovation in strengthening productivity and resilience, including climate-resilient crops, genetic technologies, precision agriculture, AI, remote sensing and climate information, and requirements for moving solutions from research and trials into commercially viable adoption at scale. Delegates will discuss resilience beyond the farm gate, including risks affecting processing, logistics, storage, international sourcing and critical inputs. They will also consider the contribution of the Farming and Food Partnership Board in supporting coordination across farming and the food industry, and priorities for improving data, evidence and measures of adaptation progress.
Overview of areas for discussion
- adaptation policy, delivery & accountability:
- measurable objectives for farming and food ahead of NAP4 - near-term action and delivery priorities - responsibilities across Defra, other departments, regulators and industry
- indicators of preparedness and progress - moving from emergency response to planned adaptation - alignment of farming support, food security, water, land use and infrastructure policy
- water resilience, abstraction & infrastructure:
- abstraction licensing and drought flexibility - agricultural requirements, environmental limits and competing demands
- catchment-level planning - soil health and natural flood management - identifying viable investment and overcoming delivery barriers
- on-farm reservoirs and irrigation infrastructure - planning and permitting - planned reopening of the Water Management Grant and other support
- farm investment, finance & risk:
- financing adaptation measures - evidence of costs, avoided losses and productivity
- business capacity to invest following climate and market shocks - requirements of agricultural lenders and insurers
- public, private and blended finance - sharing risk across government, producers, processors and retailers - public benefits of adaptation
- access for small and tenant farms - tenancy and investment payback barriers - affordability for producers and consumers
- technology, commercialisation & farm adoption:
- climate-resilient crops and genetic technologies - precision agriculture, AI and remote sensing
- climate services, forecasting and decision-support - translating regional projections into cropping, livestock, water and investment decisions
- R&D to commercial deployment - demonstration, validation and farm-level returns - skills, connectivity, energy and advisory capacity
- resilient supply chains, inputs & preparedness:
- stress testing food chains - dependencies across processing, cold storage, transport, energy, fertiliser and other inputs - contingency and storage requirements
- imported climate risk and simultaneous production shocks - sourcing diversification and supplier information - balancing resilience, efficiency and just-in-time operating models
- land use, regional delivery & sector coordination:
- Land Use Framework and 30by30 - managing interactions between food production, nature recovery and other demands on land
- tailoring adaptation to soil, water availability, farm type and local climate exposure - regional delivery models and knowledge exchange
- heat stress, pests and diseases - plant and animal health surveillance - adapting livestock and crop management
- Farming and Food Partnership Board and sector growth plans - coordination between producers, manufacturers, retailers, finance and government
