Leicestershire Food and Land Use Summit 2025

The Leicestershire Food and Land Use Summit 2025 convened experts to explore sustainable and resilient food systems in the Midlands. The event highlighted the urgent need to transform land use to meet greenhouse gas reduction, nature recovery, and food security goals. Key insights included: Integrated Land Use: Moving beyond “one-size-fits-all” approaches toward multifunctional, locally tailored land management. Technology: Satellite-based Earth Observation can provide precise data to guide agricultural and land use decisions. Policy Alignment: National frameworks and Local Nature Recovery Strategies must work together to enable effective local implementation. Industry Engagement: The Food and Drink Federation’s Ambition 2030 program addresses sustainability across the supply chain and decarbonization challenges. Challenges: Knowledge gaps, post-Brexit funding shifts, governance trust issues, and fragmented data systems remain barriers. Midlands as a Living Lab: Its diverse habitats and networks make the region ideal for piloting national policy. Strategic Recommendations: Coordinated efforts are needed to encourage large landowners to adopt regenerative agriculture and strengthen local producer–manufacturer collaborations.