The CPM Climate Change Champions 2022 round table event took place on 3 November 2021. Some of the finest farmers in the country revealed the secrets of their soils and how they’re helping to save the planet.

For summaries of the 2022 contenders, visit the Climate Change Champions landing page.

 



By Tom Allen-Stevens

Congratulations to Doug Wanstall of J Wanstall & Sons, Kent, who was voted 2021 Climate Change Champion of the Year.

[table id=9 /]

Click here to see full details of the 2020 Climate Change Champions

Why is CPM doing this?

CPM readers are the progressive arable farmers – the thought leaders who always initiate positive change. And when it comes to climate change, the arable sector has most to offer – with the right on-farm practices, vast quantities of carbon can be sequestered in arable soils. This is a natural capital asset which can now be traded.

So the opportunities to add value are there and it’ll up to the thought leaders to indicate where that will lead. This is where the CPM reader comes in, as someone who recognises positive change and progression in the industry, and has done time and time again.

Will this initiative actually make a difference?

Yes.

We’re working with the NFU to ensure the CPM Climate Change Champions are at the forefront of the conversation on how UK Agriculture, and indeed agriculture globally, takes potential solutions to climate change forward. This is the opportunity for arable farmers to put forward their case. No one is in a better position to make that case than a UK farmer who has actually put into practice the very activities that may deliver Net Zero.

How will the award be judged?

We’re looking to award the title of CPM Climate Change Champion 2022. This will be decided by CPM readers and NFU members.

Each article will be presented in a way that allows the reader to form a view of the candidate’s inspirational ideas, productivity push, cultivation care and bio-based boldness – criteria that relate to the nomination form and will be pursued further during the farm visit.

Once published, the article will also be freely available to view on the CPM website.

The initiative will run throughout 2022, and in October 2022, CPM readers will be invited to vote for which of the candidates they feel should be Climate Change Champion 2022. The voting will be through an on-line survey that allows respondents to score the candidates according to some key criteria.

How are the sponsors involved?

One of the key aspects of Climate Change Champions is that this is a partnership approach – we’re looking to the supply trade to step forward as much we’re looking to individual farmers.

There will be a maximum of ten sponsors and we welcome expressions of interest. CPM will work with those partner companies to ensure each of the Climate Change Champions receive the profile they deserve, not just in the one issue of CPM in which they feature, but also on-line and through other activity that will help tell their story and its contribution towards the wider industry Net Zero journey.

The exact nature of the relationship and support offered by the sponsor to their chosen Champion will be agreed by the individuals, but will involve at least the farm visit and related article and attendance at the event in Oct 2022. Any company interested in sponsoring should contact angus@cpm-magazine.co.uk

Climate Change Champions

UK Farming has set itself the challenging target of Net Zero emissions by 2040. Although led by the NFU, it will take the entire industry, working together in a partnership approach to meet this ambitious goal.

But there are individual growers, thought leaders who have already started on this journey. They have the ideas, the progressive outlook and the determination to shape positive change. CPM has teamed up with leading agricultural suppliers who have a credible Net Zero aspiration to identify these individuals and bring them into the top-level discussion about how farming can position itself as the solution to climate change.

We’re inviting arable farmers who feel they can meet the challenge of Net Zero to step forward and nominate themselves to this worthy role. CPM readers will then get the chance to decide who will be awarded the accolade of Climate Change Champion 2022.