The Duchy of Lancaster is expanding its support for tenant farmers as part of its commitment to protecting nature and helping to create a more sustainable future.
Working in partnership with farmers across its rural estate, the Duchy is investing in a range of practical initiatives designed to support regenerative farming, strengthen environmental stewardship and encourage resilient farm businesses.
A key part of this work is the Duchy’s collaboration with Soil Association Exchange (SAX), which has provided detailed sustainability baseline assessments across 16 of our farms covering 35% of farmed Duchy land. The programme examined 39 sustainability metrics, helping farmers better understand areas including soil health, environmental performance, social impact and long-term business resilience.
The findings are now helping to shape a wider programme of support across the Duchy’s agricultural portfolio, with the aim of sharing knowledge and practical solutions that can benefit all Duchy farming tenants.
This June, the Duchy’s rural team, alongside the Soil Association, will host a series of Collaborative On Farm Workshops, bringing together tenants to explore the findings, share experiences and discuss practical actions to strengthen resilience, profitability and environmental outcomes.
The workshops are designed to encourage collaboration and peer-to-peer learning, while supporting farmers in adopting more regenerative approaches that work with nature and reduce reliance on artificial inputs.
Alongside the workshops, the Duchy is also providing tailored support for farmers seeking to adopt sustainability initiatives identified through the Soil Association Exchange programme. This includes financial assistance where appropriate, as well as guidance on accessing external grants and funding opportunities.
The Duchy is also offering tenants access to specialist consultancy support from Jamieson and Jamieson and Nethergill Associates, whose “Maximum Sustainable Output” model helps farmers identify the optimum balance between profitability, productivity and environmental performance.
By helping farmers establish the “sweet spot” for their businesses, the initiative aims to demonstrate how working more closely with natural systems and reducing artificial inputs can support both environmental sustainability and long-term economic resilience.
Supporting this wider approach is the Duchy’s Sustainable Farm Business Tenancy (SFBT) framework, which is designed to give farmers the confidence and longer-term certainty needed to invest in regenerative farming practices, sustainable land management and environmental improvements.
Working closely with tenants, the Duchy intends to introduce further SFBTs over time, helping farmers explore new ways to manage land sustainably while creating long-term value.
Alastair Martin, Chief Executive of the Duchy of Lancaster, said:
“By working collaboratively with our farming tenants, we want to support approaches that work with nature, strengthen soil health and encourage resilient, productive farm businesses for generations to come.
“Through knowledge sharing, expert support and longer-term initiatives across the Duchy estate, we are helping provide farmers with the confidence to invest in sustainable land management and build long-term resilience within their businesses.
“This approach aligns with His Majesty The King’s long-standing ethos around the importance of farming in harmony with the natural environment.”
The Duchy’s wider programme reflects its long-term approach to stewardship, supporting innovation and encouraging farming practices that deliver positive outcomes for food production, biodiversity, soil health and the rural economy.