£60k in grants available for regenerative farming projects
4th April 2024
The Wine Society has launched a new climate and nature programme that encourages growers to adopt regenerative farming practices by awarding grants to individual projects.
As part of its 150th anniversary celebrations, the society is launching the Climate and Nature Programme.
Producers can apply for funding to support the implementation or expansion of viticultural or vineyard projects. This can be anything from planting trees and hedgerows in and around vineyards to adopting more regenerative farming practices that promote biodiversity and mitigate carbon.
The first year will offer a total of £60,000 of funding, but it is likely that this pot will increase in the next year.
What will the programme support?
The programme fund will provide support for the society’s suppliers wishing to take measures in and around their vineyards that:
- Sequester additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
- Boost and restore biodiversity – above and below ground
- Increase the resilience of their grape production to climate change
This might include the planting of trees and hedgerows around vineyards, conservation and restoration projects or the long-term implementation of regenerative agricultural practices. No vineyard is the same, so growers can decide on the specifics of what will work best for their vineyard.
Key drivers of climate change
Dom de Ville, the Wine Society’s director of sustainability, explained that while agriculture, including viticulture, was one of the key drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss globally, it also offered one of the greatest opportunities to reverse declines and help slow climate change.
A team of expert judges will select the most exciting entries, considering things like the impact the project is likely to have, whether the project will be collaborative with other growers, and the long-term plan this project is likely to be a part of.
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