Farmers on the front line of climate change solutions

Our farmers are at the core of how we move forward on climate creating innovative solutions to the way we shape our future.

In episode 16 of The Decarbonisation Dialogue, we talk to Jenna Hegarty, a self-described ‘accidental environmentalist’ and policy lead at The Nature Friendly Farming Network.

The Nature Friendly Farming Network is an organisation championing sustainable agriculture across the UK. It is a membership organisation led by farmers, working alongside other organisations and public supporters. 

With deep conviction and clarity, Jenna opens up about the critical role farmers play in tackling the climate and nature crises and why storytelling, not just statistics and technology, might be our strongest tool for change.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Jenna believes that farmers are uniquely placed to lead the way, if we support them properly.

She said: “Farmers are in a really unique position to be at the vanguard of solutions to this. We have got to accept that a significant amount of climate change is locked in but it’s not hopeless.

“Farming has an incredibly important role to play in mitigation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and also adapting to a changing climate.”

According to UK government food security reports, the dual crises of climate change and nature loss represent the most significant medium-to-long-term threats to food production – replicable across the globe. And yet, Jenna sees nature not as a casualty, but as a collaborator.

“Nature is probably the most important partner to farming that you can get. It can do a lot of what we currently pay for, for free!”

Jenna’s role at The Nature Friendly Farming Network is all about influencing both government and private sector policy to create real, lasting change in UK farming.

“My job is about creating pressure and demand for more nature-friendly farming. 

“Policy is absolutely imperative for that, but it’s not just about government. The private sector has equal, if not more, responsibility.”

She notes that UK agriculture has long been shaped by major policy interventions, particularly following the Second World War. While those changes increased production, they also contributed to environmental degradation. Now, she says, it’s time for policy, public and private, to be part of the solution.

In our podcast we talk how we can tell the climate story more effectively, so we are all encouraged to change habits that are bad for the planet.

She believes that facts and figures alone won’t move people to act.

“The best compelling facts and figures aren’t enough. We have to remember our history as storytellers. If we cannot package this up for different audiences, we’re just banging our heads against a wall.”

She stresses the importance of connecting with people, meeting them where they are and communicating in a way that resonates, whether they’re farmers, consumers, or policymakers. It’s key to understand where people are, she says.

On the subject of dietary change and food culture, Jenna understands both the complexity and the controversy.

She said: “What we eat and what we consider desirable has changed so much over time. Today’s diets are vastly different from 30 or 60 years ago, shaped by the supply chain and big food businesses. We’re used to having anything we want, whenever we want it.”

She notes that while dietary changes can be a powerful climate solution, they’re often politically and emotionally charged.

Jenna added: “Even suggesting that we eat a few sausages less per week can be seen as an infringement of personal rights. But we know our current diet is both unhealthy and environmentally intensive.”

Jenna also highlights the importance and limitations of agricultural technology. She acknowledges that precision tools and data-driven systems can support farmers in using resources like fertiliser more efficiently. But she offers a word of caution.

This can be invaluable to the way we farm.

“Tech can be amazing, tech that helps farmers really understand what their soils need at any given point in the growing cycle and only applying that.

“That’s a really great bit of kit.”

However, she sees it can be used for ‘ill’ as well as ‘good.’

“If you’re essentially propping up a fundamentally unsustainable system of production but you’re just making it less bad through the use of tech then it’s still fundamentally unsustainable. It’s about the right tech to tackle the problems we have.”

For Jenna, this work is deeply personal. Her values are rooted in a profound connection to nature and a mindful way of living.

Although Jenna grew up in an urban area, her love of the environment grew whilst studying at university. She studied politics and became fascinated by how much our land is influenced by the policy framework. This love has become stronger over the years.

Before joining the network Jenna worked at the RSPB, starting out as an Agriculture Policy Officer and progressing to Deputy Director for Advocacy. Prior to the RSPB, Jenna worked for Natural England, covering the New Forest. 

She said: “The connection to the natural environment gets deeper as I get older. It’s about staying true to my purpose, whether that’s the food I choose for my family, what we grow at home, or the job I do.

“We are not separate from nature. We are nature.”

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