New Welsh farm event to focus on nature and resilience

A new event will bring Welsh farmers together to explore how nature-friendly practices could improve farm resilience, productivity and environmental outcomes.

The inaugural Cynefin event will take place at Llangorse Multi-Activity Centre, near Brecon, on 12-13 September, bringing together farmers, policymakers and conservationists for two days of practical sessions and discussion.

Organised by the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) Cymru and Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, the event has been inspired by farming gatherings including Groundswell in England and Fields Good in Northern Ireland.

See also: Nature-friendly farming on public display

Sessions will cover soil health, grazing livestock, trees and hedgerows, water quality and supporting species, including curlew.

Saturday 12 September will focus on land management, including a hedgerow safari and a keynote speech from farmer and TV presenter Alun Elidyr.

Discussions will also consider whether reducing reliance on pesticides, artificial inputs and fertiliser can help cut costs and make farm businesses more resilient to volatile prices and extreme weather.

Sunday 13 September will examine opportunities for farmers to collaborate on landscape-scale projects, and will include a guided walk of the host site.

Celebrating farmers

NFFN Cymru manager Rhys Evans said: “Cynefin is a vital opportunity to celebrate all the great work farmers are doing for nature across Wales.

“We often hear negative headlines linking agriculture to biodiversity decline or poor water quality, but nature-friendly farming can have tremendous environmental benefits, and this is a chance to share that story more widely.”

He added that the event would also allow farmers to exchange knowledge about practices that could improve profitability and productivity while increasing resilience to volatile weather.

The programme will include food, drink and live music on Saturday evening.

Tickets are now on sale here.