This week, FFCC Chief Executive Sue Pritchard will address the penultimate gathering of the People’s Assembly for Nature, part of the UK’s biggest ever conversation about the future of nature.

Led by WWF UK, RSPB and National Trust, the People’s Assembly for Nature builds on the work of the People’s Plan for Nature, convening 100 citizens to represent the UK population and generate a public mandate for the protection and restoration of nature in the UK.

The session will focus on the theme ‘Sustaining people and nature’, exploring the complex interactions between farming and nature – and how best to maximise co-benefits between the two.

In October last year, the People’s Assembly for Nature saw over 30,000 ideas shared by members of the public on what nature means to them and how it can be protected, as well as inspiring projects up and down the country that are already working to restore and safeguard our natural life-support systems. These were presented to the first session of the People’s Assembly for Nature in November of last year.

At the end of the four sessions next month, assembly members will debate and discuss the information and evidence provided to them to find common ground – identifying the best solutions to protect and restore nature in the UK.

The outcome will be the People’s Plan for Nature. Published in spring 2023, it will include practical recommendations for local and national governments, food and farming businesses, non-governmental organisations, communities, and individuals.

Evidence brought to light by FFCC and others shows that a transition to agroecology can tackle the climate, nature, health and economic crises together.

At the RSPB’s Hope Farm, Georgie Bray and team are demonstrating that nature-friendly farming is not only possible, but profitable – and that when farmland is managed properly, it can become a thriving eco-system.