This year's Future Countryside conference featured the voices of a new generation of rural champions, writes Sarah Lee in this article for My Countryside magazine.
The magnificent Chatsworth House in Derbyshire provided the perfect setting for this year’s Future Countryside conference, which took place on Tuesday 20 May.
Now in its third year, Future Countryside is about making sure the voice of the countryside is heard. The event was all about listening and learning from one another and discussing how we can meet the countryside’s many demands, restore nature, tackle climate change, grow food, improve public health and sustain rural communities, all at the same time.
A brilliant line-up of speakers enthralled a packed room of delegates from across the rural world, including the NFU, CLA, National Trust, RSPB and many others.
Lord Burlington, the current custodian of the Chatsworth Estate, opened the day and set the tone: thoughtful, honest and rooted in practical experience. He was followed by historian Tristram Hunt, Natural England Chair Tony Juniper, poet Yvonne Witter and one of my favourites, the Gen Z panel of young farmers and conservationists who brought both knowledge and passion for the countryside to the day.
Of course, we also had big hitters from the political world. Former Defra Secretary Michael Gove didn’t mince his words. He told the audience that persuading the Treasury to invest in farming has always been an uphill battle. Treasury officials, he said, still tend to see farmers as “the Duke of Buccleuch driving a brand-new 4x4 with a Gainsborough in the attic” – a deeply out-of-date caricature. That’s why, he explained, the argument for public money for public goods was developed: to show that farming delivers benefits for everyone, not just the farmers themselves.
But making that case is not easy. Gove described government as a brutal hierarchy, “like a group of gorillas,” where the Prime Minister and Chancellor are the dominant “Silverbacks” and Defra ministers are much lower down the pecking order. To succeed, he said, you have to be bold: “Go in there, put on your gorilla suit.”
Most memorably, he summed up the challenge facing rural communities by saying: “The challenge the countryside faces is that it doesn’t have a single voice, or at the very least, it doesn’t have a choir.” That simple line captures why Future Countryside matters. We need to build that choir to ensure rural voices are not just heard, but harmonised.
Agriculture Minister Daniel Zeichner (pictured above) echoed the theme, saying we need to be able to show the wider benefits of rural funding, not just to farmers, but to society as a whole. With the Spending Review in June, the key message that we must keep fighting for fair funding was poignant and timely. Both sides of the political divide acknowledged that a properly funded rural economy underpins everything from food security to nature recovery.
The countryside’s future choir
The highlight of the day for me wasn’t a politician or industry leader, it was the voice of the next generation, Gen Z. Exclusive polling was presented at the conference, looking at what Gen Z – those aged 18 to 27 – really think about the countryside, its future and who they trust to manage it. The results gave me real hope, but also some clear challenges.
First, the good news. Around a third (32%) of young people rated farmers as the best champions of the British countryside, well ahead of activists (12%) and leaving politicians trailing at just 4%. It was a brilliant reminder that despite all the noise on social media, young adults instinctively understand the vital role that farmers play in managing our land and feeding the nation.
And when it came to individual figures, it was heartening and perhaps a little entertaining to see Jeremy Clarkson come second to national treasure Sir David Attenborough, both trouncing Chris Packham in the popularity stakes. Whether you love or loathe Clarkson’s Farm, it’s connecting with younger audiences in a way that few rural documentaries have managed. Gen Z clearly want to see authentic stories about farming, nature and rural life.
Perhaps most useful of all were the insights into what young people think farmers should be doing more of. Here’s where we should really pay attention. The top three priorities were clear:
Rewilding, use of chemical pesticides and meeting unsustainable consumer demand came much lower down the list. In other words, Gen Z wants balance. They are not demanding an end to food production or a wholesale rewilding of the countryside. They want farmers to be good stewards of the land, to treat animals well and to continue putting food on the nation’s tables. They want farmers to be supported to do the right thing.
As Lord Herbert, our conference co-chair, rightly said, these findings “skewered the assumptions some people have about Gen Z.” Far from being anti-farming or disconnected from rural life, they see the countryside as part of their heritage and believe that farmers, not campaigners or politicians, are best placed to manage it. They value both nature and farming. They do not want extremes; they want a countryside that works for all.
For those of us advocating for the countryside, this is gold dust. We often hear that the next generation is turning its back on farming and rural communities. Our polling shows the opposite; they care deeply about rural issues, they value balance and common sense and they instinctively trust farmers more than anyone else.
Of course, there is work to do. Young people are rightly demanding high standards of animal welfare and environmental care. They want transparency and authenticity, and we must deliver. But with Gen Z broadly on side, we have an opportunity to bridge the divide between urban and rural and to foster a new generation of countryside champions.
As I left Chatsworth that evening, I felt optimistic. Yes, there are big challenges ahead, including funding, climate change and food prices, but there is also a new generation ready to engage with the countryside in a constructive and positive way.
If we can harness that energy and keep the conversations open, I believe the future of our countryside can be a positive one.