LENs programme update

Reviewing the innovation proposals submitted across our regions has been a fascinating process. The applications offer a brilliant insight into the progressive mindset of our farming community. Thank you for dedicating your time and effort to putting these proposals together for our team and funders to consider.

The chart below illustrates the breakdown of applications by innovation theme:

Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals for this year’s LENs England trades. We have seen outstanding interest, with over £7 million of proposals submitted by farmers across the programme. This is a really positive reflection of the appetite for practical, farmer-led action to improve soil health, biodiversity, water resilience and farm business resilience across the landscape.
As demand for funding is high, the process is competitive and allocations will depend on available budgets, funder priorities and the overall fit of proposals. We expect funding decisions to be shared back with farmers in July, and your Supply Aggregator will be in touch once allocations have been confirmed.

George Hayes, LENs UK Senior Manager

Prioritising and allocating the £2 million budget against £7 million worth of applications has been a significant challenge for the LENs team. If your project does not receive funding this year, we strongly encourage you to apply again in the future. Rest assured that we are working tirelessly to secure additional funding streams across all our active regions. Being able to demonstrate to new and existing partners that our farmers are committed, innovative, and ready to roll out vital interventions for climate, soil, and biodiversity is incredibly valuable in helping us advance those funding conversations.