LENs boosts farmer engagement with Farm Advisor joining team

Supporting farmers within LENs is a central pillar of the programme’s success. Now that we are working across seven different regions, with more in development, LENs has brought on board a Farm Advisor, dedicated to ensuring that we offer the most effective advice and engagement with farmers.

The core mission of a LENs farm advisor is to listen, support, guide and collaborate. Chantal Brown, who joined the team in 2025, is increasing our direct communication with farmers, offering a dedicated sounding board for solving field-level challenges, helping farmers share best practice and knowledge, and celebrating successes across the regions. Working closely with our programme leads, she supports the regional advisors and technical partners across our network, providing expert guidance while seeking opportunities to improve our impact in every landscape.

Technical expertise and practical experience

Chantal brings a wealth of experience in the design and administration of farmer support schemes. Her background includes:

• collaborating with Defra on the design of soil options for Environmental Land Management schemes;
• assessing water capital grant applications within Countryside Stewardship; and
• administering private and charitable finance for farmers, including Heritage Lottery and landfill tax grants.

Chantal is working across all our regions to ensure that farmers benefit from training, networking and technical advice to maximise the impact for climate, soil, water, biodiversity, and farmer wellbeing.

Tailoring the LENs Regenerative Pathway for 2026

In 2026, we are tailoring the regenerative pathway to fit individual regions. This localised approach allows us to use regional knowledge and networks to create schemes that fit specific farming contexts. At LENs, we are fortunate to have the flexibility to adapt timing and measures to be truly responsive to local issues and conditions.

Insight, innovation and shared success

Having a dedicated farm advisor within our core team provides a vital bridge between theory and practice. Chantal offers topical farming insights and agronomic guidance that alongside our MRV programme, provide our funders with the reassurance that the actions they invest in are delivering tangible, high-quality outcomes.

Chantal’s oversight across the UK and EU allows data from trials and success stories to be shared to benefit all LENs farmers. She will be working closely with regional operators to collate findings from field innovations, helping to provide the “gear shift” needed to overcome the challenges of regenerative agriculture at scale.