As the UK begins its greatest agricultural transition since the Second World War’s ‘Dig for Victory’, the need for this varied collection of council farm estates to be valued as a strategic national asset is more compelling and urgent than ever. These are challenging times but land, and how it is used, are now understood as vital for delivering important benefts for the entire population such as carbon storage, abundance of, and access to, nature, and clean, slow water. It is imperative that government at all levels harnesses the potential of its farmland to support a thriving and sustainable farming sector and to unlock these wider community benefts. For council farms, this will require a renewed sense of purpose and, we believe, modest but sustained investment. If central and local government can act together in this endeavour, then we have reason to hope that this irreplaceable asset can go on to be protected, enhanced and revitalised for the wider beneft of generations to come.
