One of the key objectives of the Foundation is to make sustainable land use a defining feature of Herefordshire. Our Land Use Programme recognises the current crisis in agriculture, evidenced by the declining incomes and mental health problems affecting farmers, by soil erosion, river pollution and the increasing threat of climate change.

Conventional approaches to farming do not take into account the true costs or benefits to society of agriculture. The Foundation believes that if these impacts were acknowledged, then a radical change in our approach to land management would become a high priority.

Practical projects in the Land Use Programme include:

Herefordshire Orchards Community Evaluation project, developed on behalf of  the Orchard Topic Group. Investigating the importance of orchards through a deep evaluation of six different orchards in Herefordshire. The project used a triple bottom line impact accounting approach to investigate value, with the help of a vast array of local and national experts and supporting organisations. The project has explored and communicated the important economic, social and environmental role played by orchards, and will link to national and European wide sustainable land use assessments.

We were instrumental in converting to organic status the 224 acre Pound Farm Estate at Holme Lacy, Herefordshire and in developing  it as an example of best practice in sustainable land management and an educational resource for students and researchers.

We are also involved in development of regional policy seeking  more sustainable solutions to rural land use