Small, upland farms are a crucial part of the landscape, culture and communities of Cumbria. Our vision is to have a thriving local farming economy where farmers are properly rewarded for their work and the public benefit from improved landscape, access, biodiversity, water and health through responsible farming practices. We campaign for viable upland farming; give advice to landowners and farmers on land management issues; support more opportunities for young farmers and encourage the use of local food. Our Farming Landscapes project increased the public’s understanding of the links between farming, food and the landscape. We also champion rural skills through our walling and hedging competitions and demonstrate good practice through our own property management.

Impacts of this area of work:

• 126 awareness raising events, with 65 farmers, 55 volunteers, and 1,958 attendees
• Advice to farmers and landowners on land management issues and funding schemes
• Championing traditional rural skills through our annual hedging and walling competitions and our Work the View project.

We helped James move from his old agri environment scheme to a new Higher Level Stewardship Scheme. He said Through advice from Friends of the Lake District I was able to get my land into the Higher Level Stewardship scheme, giving me stability for the next 10 years. Now the farm is more financially viable

James Potter, farmer in Bretherdale