Routes to Regen: Independent Advice for Sustainable Farming

So many options, not enough time

Farmers looking to farm more sustainably have no shortage of support to choose from. Grants, discounted tools, green finance, carbon assessments, soil reviews, farm walks and environmental markets are all on offer, from a growing number of providers.

The difficulty is knowing which of it applies to your farm. Working through every scheme, checking eligibility and weighing one offer against another takes time that most farm businesses do not have. Routes to Regen has been set up to do that work with you, and Ceres Rural is providing the independent advice at the heart of it.

What Is Routes to Regen?

Routes to Regen brings together company-funded support and independent advice to help farmers identify practical next steps towards more regenerative and resilient farming.

The programme is delivered by three partners, each with a clear role:

• Corporate partners fund the programme, contribute a menu of offers and reach farmers through their networks.
• The Royal Countryside Fund manages the programme, overseeing finance, communications, evaluation and reporting.
• Ceres Rural provides the independent advice. Our consultants act as Programme Navigators, working with each farmer to turn a long list of opportunities into a short list of actions that fit their business.

Who Is It For?

Routes to Regen is open to all, but it is likely to be of most value to arable and mixed farms, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, that are interested in sustainability but have not yet gone far down the regenerative route.

You do not need to own the land. Owner-occupiers, tenants, contractors and landlords can all take part.

What You Get

• Free, independent advice on the sustainable farming support available and what is relevant to your business.
• A tailored selection of offers, rather than a list of everything on the market.
• A concise action plan setting out each opportunity, why it is relevant, who provides it, the next steps and indicative timing.
• Signposting to partner events, farm walks, talks and follow-up support.

What’s On The Menu?

The offers fall into five broad areas:

• Discounts and practical support – training grants; hedgerow, environmental seed and pollinator packages; precision-farming tools; water resilience support.
• Finance – green and transition finance, discounted fees or cashback, specialist agricultural relationship support and funded environmental-market opportunities.
• Know-how – carbon assessment tools, soil health and agronomy reviews, climate and risk advice, mentoring, technical guides and learning resources.
• Farm walks and events – knowledge-exchange events, demonstration days, roundtables, specialist site tours and selected conference opportunities.
• Market opportunities – nature-based funding, biodiversity opportunities, livestock or manure partnerships, energy-crop contracts and supply-chain programmes.

Offers vary by location, farm type, customer or supply-chain status, availability and deadlines, so we check eligibility before anything goes into your plan.

Advice That Starts With Your Business

Our Programme Navigators are not there to promote the menu. Their role is to give you an independent view, to understand your business first and then identify the offers that are a good fit for it.

In practice, that means listening before advising. Your Navigator will want to understand your objectives, your farming system, any schemes you are already in and the practical constraints you are working within, whether that is time, money, risk or how ready the business is for change. Only then will they look at which offers make sense for you.

How it works

1. We match you with the right consultant, based on your location, your farm and the expertise you need.
2. We get in touch to gather a few details and book a visit at a time that suits you.
3. We do our homework, reviewing what is already known about your farm, your schemes and your local area before we arrive.
4. We visit your farm to talk through your goals, how you farm today and where you would like to be, and to explore the options that could help you get there.
5. We draft your action plan together, linking your priorities to relevant offers, next steps and timings.
6. You review it, we fine-tune it and you receive the final version.
7. We stay in touch, pointing you towards events and follow-up support as they come up.

A plan You Can Put To Work

Your action plan is deliberately short and practical. For each priority we agree, it sets out the issue or opportunity, the matched offer and provider, why it is relevant to your farm, and the next step with a rough timescale. It is written to be picked up and acted on, not filed away.

Get Involved

If you would like to find out what Routes to Regen could offer your farm, register your interest here: Routes to Regen – The Royal Countryside Fund. The advice is free and independent, and it starts with a conversation about your business.

For any questions about the programme, please contact: Louise.petrakas@ceresrural.co.uk

Routes to Regen is managed by The Royal Countryside Fund and funded by corporate partners. Ceres Rural provides independent advice as Programme Navigator. Offers are subject to eligibility, availability and provider terms.