Sustaining the Gwent Levels conference

On Friday 23rd September, around forty people, including farmers, Living Levels Partners, and members of the local community, met at Redwick Village Hall to discuss the Sustaining the Gwent Levels project and the future of farming in Wales.

The event was introduced by John Griffiths, MS for Newport East, Chair of the Gwent Levels Working Group, and former Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development.

Arfon Williams, Head of Land and Sea Policy for RSPB, spoke about the Sustaining the Gwent Levels project, which ran from 2018 to 2022. Although interrupted by COVID lockdowns, the project met or exceeded all of its original targets and laid the ground work for future collaborative work with local farmers.

Marcus Nyman, Senior Policy Officer for RSPB, spoke about the opportunities for building a nature positive local economy.

Adam Alexander, Director of Our Food 1200, spoke about a local food initiative in Monmouthshire and the Brecon Beacons that is seeking to create 1200 acres of regeneratively grown produce for local markets.

Chris Harris, Living Levels Project Manager, spoke about the Living Levels Landscape Partnership and the future of the project. The Living Levels is looking to build on the success of the Sustaining the Gwent Levels project and has proposed the formation of a Sustainable Farming Network on the Levels.

Dave Ashford, Engagement Manager for Land Management Reform at Welsh Government, introduced the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). The SFS is designed to support farmers while addressing the climate emergency and decline in biodiversity. The scheme is still in the consultation phase and WG are keen to engage with farmers to ensure the scheme reaches its full potential.

The morning session ended with a Q&A. After lunch, the conference split with a group of local farmers sitting down with Dave Ashford for an in-depth discussion about the SFS, while the rest of the delegates visited a local farm to view and discuss some of the issues around sustainable farming on the Levels.

The Living Levels Landscape Partnership hope that this event will be the start of an ongoing discussion about how the wider community can work together to create a vibrant local farming economy that supports farmers and promotes nature and climate friendly farming.

Many thanks to everyone who attended.