⚠️ Archived Content
This page relates to the 2019–2024 National Park Management Plan, which is now archived. For the latest aims and objectives, please visit the 2025–30 Management Plan landing page.
By 2024 deliver the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, providing a locally tailored, locally delivered, outcome-focused grant programme that helps to maintain, restore and improve the outstanding natural capital and rural heritage of the National Park.
How the local partners are doing on this objective
Progress: £2.43 million in grants were provided to farmers and land managers in 2024/25 through the Defra-funded Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, supporting projects in the National Park that benefit nature, climate, people or place.
In the 4 years to date, the programme has provided £5.2 million in grant funding to support over 200 projects in the Yorkshire Dales, including:
• 96 ha of wildlife areas created or restored;
• Planting of 4,600 in-field trees and creation of nearly 18km of hedgerow, connecting habitats and making the landscape more resilient to climate change
• Restoration of 12 traditional barns and 2 sheepfolds;
• 33 projects focused on carbon sequestration, soil and grassland health.
• Farm visits by 59 different school groups
Press Releases & relates articles:
19 August 2025 – Farmer: “Now stock can thrive”
19 December 2023 – ‘Apply now’ for farming grant
20 June 2022 – ‘Good start’ to farming grants programme
Rationale: Brexit provides an opportunity to re-think the way in which farming and land management can be better supported to deliver public benefits in a National Park. Amongst the farming community there is strong support for a more collaborative approach that gives greater local flexibility to deliver a wider range of environmental outcomes whilst still allowing the whole farm to work as a system. Through the Yorkshire Dales Farming and Land Management Forum and other local partnerships a consensus is emerging about how a future national agri-environment scheme should work in nationally-important environments like the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Lead partner: Yorkshire Dales Farming & Land Management Forum
Supporting partners: Natural England; Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority; Northern Hill Farming Panel; Forestry Commission.
Further information: Future of farming – .GOV.uk website
Cost over 5 years: £100,000
Funding shortfall: None
Related objectives: A1; A9; C1; C2; C3; C4; D1; D2; D3; D5; E4; E9
Ecosystem services: Food provision; Timber provision; Genetic diversity; Energy; Climate regulation; Water quality; Water Flow; Soil quality; Soil erosion; Pollination; A sense of place and inspiration; A sense of history; Recreation; Biodiversity; Geodiversity.
Trade-offs: Any environmental land management scheme will act to reduce the amount of livestock, crops and other products that could, theoretically, otherwise be produced by farm businesses (E9). In practice, evidence shows that most farm businesses in the National Park would not be viable without support from such schemes.
Baseline: n/a