This week I had the great privilege of speaking at the Great Yorkshire Show, one of the finest celebrations of rural life in the country, and I was asked to respond to the big question of what do we want the countryside to look like in thirty years’ time?

At the Countryside Alliance we have been thinking about this a lot recently, and we’re clear, the countryside should be the beating heart of a modern, healthy, green, and prosperous Britain. It isn’t just about landscapes and livestock, it’s about people, culture, community, and national purpose.

That’s why we’ve spent the past few years leading a national conversation about the future of rural life. In May, we hosted Future Countryside 25 at Chatsworth, an event designed not to force consensus, but to bring together farmers, policymakers, environmentalists, businesses and young people to listen, challenge and collaborate.

Some hard truths emerged.

Michael Gove told us the Treasury still views farming through outdated stereotypes “the Duke of Buccleuch in a brand-new 4x4 with a Gainsborough in the attic” missing the daily pressures small farms face. He reminded us that unless you fight for the countryside in government, it gets ignored. He also made clear one of the biggest challenges facing the countryside is that it does not have a choir. He’s right, and that’s exactly why Future Countryside exists - to build that choir. A collective voice for rural Britain.

We also heard from Agriculture Minister Daniel Zeichner at Future Countryside, who rightly said that investment in the countryside must show benefits for everyone, from food security to nature recovery and rural jobs. But kind words are not enough. They must be matched with consistent action.

Unfortunately, recent government decisions suggest that rural communities are still not being heard. Proposed inheritance tax changes risk forcing families to break up long-held farms to meet tax bills. The sudden scrapping of the Sustainable Farming Incentive, without a clear replacement, has left many farmers who stepped up for nature, only to feel abandoned when the scheme was pulled. That’s what happens when rural voices are ignored. These are not abstract policy points, they have real-world consequences for the people and communities who care for our land every day.

But there are reasons for hope for the future of the countryside and they come from the next generation.

At the conference, we shared polling of 18–27-year-olds. The results were striking. Young people overwhelmingly trust farmers, far more than politicians or activists, and they care most about animal welfare, looking after the land, and producing food. They don’t want radical upheaval. They want balance. And they want farmers to succeed.

This tells us something that the next generation is rooting for rural Britain.

So what should our countryside look like in thirty years? We believe it should rest on four guiding principles:

1. The countryside should be for everyone - not just those who live there, but the whole country. It’s part of our national identity.
2. It must be central to the national debate - not pushed to the margins. Rural life underpins our economy, our food system and our climate resilience.
3. It must be shaped by its communities - local voices must have real power in decisions that affect their future.
4. It needs a joined-up plan - one that connects farming, nature, housing, energy, skills and rural enterprise.

In thirty years’ time, we want to see a countryside that is thriving, not just surviving. A place that is respected, not overlooked. Balanced, fair and open for those who live there, and for those who love it. Let’s not just give rural Britain a voice - let’s give it a future.