On 12 January, ‘Plough Sunday’ was celebrated in UK churches with strong agricultural links – a day which recognises the vital role that farmers play in the lives of rural communities and in providing food. However, newer, more sustainable farming methods actually reduce the need for ploughing by prioritising minimum tillage methods – methods which can help retain soil structure and health while also improving the soil’s long-term productivity and keeping carbon locked in the ground.
Recognising the role that Church-owned land can play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and storing carbon, Operation Noah has released a new resource called Supporting Farmers to Reduce Emissions which outlines how Churches and Christians can support farmers to farm sustainably.
Agricultural land is a significant source of global greenhouse gas emissions, however, it actually has the potential to be a carbon sink. We know that there are many financial pressures on farmers at this time, and our new farming resource recognises the need to work with farmers, using their expertise about the land they farm and finding solutions that fit with their business models.
There are some excellent examples of farms which are already operating at ‘Farm Net Zero’ emissions, and learning from these innovators can help other farmers find ways of farming which are good for the climate, good for nature and good for food productivity.
What can churches do?
First and foremost, we need to be reducing emissions in all sectors and keeping fossil fuels in the ground. To that end, we know that Churches not only have financial investments, but that some denominations are also major agricultural landowners. As such, they have a responsibility to manage land sustainably as part of their efforts to restore God’s creation and address the climate crisis.
The Church of England, for example, is one of the top 10 landowners in England. Other Christian groups also have significant landholdings, with the UK Jesuits’ land estimated to be worth £99m, and the Church of Scotland’s land estimated to be worth £516m. Furthermore, there are many Christian landowners with smaller land portfolios seeking to steward their part of God’s creation, and this resource is also for them, as well as for UK Christians looking to encourage eco-friendly farming.
Supporting farmers to reduce emissions is one of three main recommendations from our 2022 Church Land and the Climate Crisis report, and our new resource on sustainable farming includes several case studies – from the story of a local church reducing food waste to a Christian landowner who has transitioned to regenerative farming and is now selling soil carbon certificates.
At Operation Noah, we want all parts of the Church to be more aware of the impact of agricultural emissions and the actions that we can take to reduce these locally by reducing food waste and eating more plant-rich diets, joining national campaigns, and asking major landholders to do more.
Our new four-page resource is available to download as a standard PDF or to print on A3 paper. We’re also continuing to promote our related resources on Growing Trees and Protecting Peatland.
Finally, as Churches and other faith groups look to scale up their investments in climate solutions, investing in sustainable farming should be considered. Perhaps your regional or national church body could invest in sustainable farming as part of signing up to our Green Investment Declaration.
Please do share our new Supporting Farmers to Reduce Emissions resource – with additional resources here – as we call on Churches to use land for the benefit of climate, nature and people.
