Investigation of Incentives and Payment Rates for Sustainable Farming and Forestry

About

Defra Network eTendering Portal awarded a contract to Country Land and Business Association Limited for investigating incentives and payment rates for sustainable farming and forestry across three components of Environmental Land Management.

The project involved building upon findings from a first test, working with 300-400 farmers and land managers through surveys, workshops, and telephone interviews to test the best approach to setting payment rates, with a particular focus on farm woodland and forestry.

Specific objectives included informing survey design through a review of current policy thinking and research on payment mechanisms and payment rates; quantitative data and analysis on costs of delivery, payment rates, and pricing mechanisms for farm woodland and forestry across all three components of Environmental Land Management and selected other environmental delivery through a survey aiming for 300-400 responses; qualitative data and analysis through three regional workshops and two Zoom workshops with 12-15 participants with a mix of woodland experience; qualitative data and analysis through 15 in-depth telephone interviews with CLA members with farm woodland and forestry; and synthesis and analysis of data into a final report with recommendations by end July 2021.

The contract value was £29,200.