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Our Vision

 

Producing food with abundant nature, sustainable water and thriving ecosystem function in the Cherwell Valley through project collaboration and knowledge exchange

 

Our Aims

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To grow into an inclusive and pro-active group of local farmers, growers, landowners, foresters and advisers who work and learn together to enhance the natural capital on their land, tackle the climate emergency and build more resilient farming and food producing businesses.

 

Objectives

 

1) Improve the health of our soils for optimal, sustainable food production: build soil carbon, reduce inputs, minimise leaching, introduce more diverse and resilient cropping

 

2) Map, create, enhance and link CS priority habitats (focus on species rich grassland, wetland & pond, watercourse, tree planting, field boundaries, key pollinator and bird habitats)

 

​3) Support entrepreneurial thinking, especially in food systems

 

4) Make the most of future policy and access private investment and public funding opportunities: carbon markets, biodiversity net gain, ELMS, transition funding, natural capital, offsetting, Natural Flood Management investment

 

5) Evaluate progress and landscape/farm level outcomes and outputs: harmonise use of measurement, soil metrics, biodiversity surveys, benchmarking

 

6) Foster community engagement/outreach such as health, access, education, particularly those that support the aforementioned objectives.