Women in Food and Farming at Cereals 2025: Sustainable Arable – Strategies for Resilience, Regeneration & Results

It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces from the Women in Food and Farming Network at this year’s Cereals event. It was great to chat, laugh and collaborate.

Our sponsored panel, Sustainable Arable – Strategies for Resilience, Regeneration & Results, was a standout moment, being the only female-only panel.

Chaired by our very own Clare Otridge, Steering Group member at WIFFN and Director at Grounded Research, the session brought together four incredible women from across the agricultural sector:

• Ana Reynolds, Managing Director, Oakbank

• Cath Crowther, Regional Director, CLA

• Liz Bowles, CEO, Farm Carbon Toolkit

• Sarah Kendall, Senior Research Scientist, ADAS

Together, they tackled one of the most pressing questions in UK agriculture: How can the arable sector become more resilient, profitable, and climate-smart?

For those that couldn’t make it, here are the key takeaways:

1. Soil Health is the Foundation Across all sectors, soil health emerged as the cornerstone of sustainable systems. From structure and organic matter to biodiversity, building from the ground up is essential.

2. Carbon: More Than a Number Liz Bowles reminded us that “the environmental lens has got a whole lot bigger.” Carbon auditing isn’t just a box-ticking exercise — it’s a tool to identify hotspots and drive meaningful change. With up to 75% of emissions linked to artificial nitrogen, the potential for impact is huge.

3. Evidence-Based Change Sarah Kendall highlighted the growing appetite among farmers to improve sustainability. “Farmers are driven by evidence,” she said, emphasizing the importance of partnerships between scientists and farmers to guide robust, on-farm trials.

4. Policy, Profitability & Private Investment Cath Crowther stressed the need for light-touch regulation and stable policy to unlock private investment. “We need to move away from looking like we’re getting handouts — this is a contract. We are delivering environmental goods.”

5. Rethinking Productivity Ana Reynolds challenged the false dichotomy between food production and environmental stewardship. “Make every hectare count,” she urged, advocating for systems that stack yield with biodiversity and long-term resilience.

6. Net Zero is a Journey, Not a Destination The panel agreed that while net zero is a critical goal, it’s not a fixed endpoint. Reducing emissions must remain the priority, especially as carbon sequestration becomes harder over time.

7. Pride in British Farming From trade deals to global food systems, the panel called for greater recognition of the UK’s leadership in sustainable agriculture. “We feed 60% of 70 million — we should be proud,” said Cath.

The panel left us with a powerful message: don’t be overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge. Start local, collaborate, and build from the ground up. As Clare Otridge noted, “The UK is well positioned — people need to know this, and we need to be proud.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Cereals and to our panellists!

Clare Otridge, Marie Charles and Emma Chapelhow from the WIFFN Team at Cereals