Farm Gate

Forests are super important - they have enormous environmental, economic, cultural and amenity value as well as being sources of food and nutrition, medicines, habitats, fuel and, of course, building materials.

In this programme, we discuss what timber can do - why forests are so important - how public support for commercial forestry could be improved - and where forestry fits within broader land use conversations.

ffinlo Costain is joined by Paul Brannen, the author of Timber! How wood can help save the world from climate breakdown - and by sustainable forestry consultant, Andrew Heald.

* Pat Thomas from A Bigger Conversation - 1'00''

* Emily Bull from FAI Farms - 14'18''

* Professor Sebastian Dötterl from ECH Zurich - 31'08''

* Million Belay from IPES Food and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa - 42'11''

* Vicki Hird from The Wildlife Trusts - 55'32''

* Alun Thomas from the Beacons Water Group - 1,05'23''

In Britain, Labour has promised to "build 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament, with the biggest increase in social housing and affordable housebuilding in a generation."

ffinlo Costain asks, can these homes be built in the time available - and just as importantly, can this level of house building be achieved in balance with nature and food production?

ffinlo is joined by James Ellis, Director of Planning at Rural Solutions - and by Gabriel Connor Streich, the Chief Executive of Greenshank Environmental.

Phil Carson (Nature Friendly Farming Network) and ffinlo Costain (8point9.com) discuss Labour's landslide general election victory, and what it means for food, farming and nature.

This is Phil's last WFTC, as he moves on to a new role in Northern Ireland. A BIG thank you for all his knowledge and expert conversation.

In this week's programme we'll hear interviews with candidates from three of the parties standing across Britain in next week's UK general election - the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and the Green Party. The Labour party were unable to make anyone available for a conversation.

Julia Aglionby, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Penrith and Solway - 01'0''

Simon Hoare, the Conservative candidate for North Dorset - 45'25''

Toby Hammond, the Green Party candidate for Beccles and Lowestoft -1,16'05''

A list of all candidates in the Penrith and Solway constituency:

Julia Aglionby, Liberal Democrats

Markus Campbell-Saviours, Labour Party

Susan Denham-Smith, The Green Party

Roy Ivinson, Independent

Mark Jenkinson, The Conservative Party

Chris Johnston, Independent

Shaun Long, Social Democratic Party

Matthew Moody, Reform UK

A list of all candidates in the North Dorset constituency:

Si Adams, Independent

James Coldwell, Labour Party

Simon Hoare, Conservative and Unionist Party

Ken Huggins, Green Party

Gary Jackson, Liberal Democrats

Ash Leaning, Reform UK

Lester Taylor, UK Independence Party

Daniel Woodruffe, Social Democratic Party

A list of all candidates for Beccles and Lowestoft:

Peter Aldous, Conservative

Jessica Asato, Labour

Toby Hammond, Green

June Mummery, Reform

Adam Robertson, Lib Dem

Phil Carson and ffinlo Costain discuss what's on offer in the Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and Labour manifestos, in terms of food, farming and nature.

Peter Byck talks about his new documentary series, Roots so Deep - 0'40''

John Gilliland talks about the ARC Zero project - 13'56''

Tom Johnstone from the Usk Catchment Partnership talks about giving nature a voice - 27'17''

Sarah-Jane Laing from Scottish Land & Estates talks about Scottish land reform - 41'22''

Robert Hindle from Rural Solutions on biodiversity net gain - 53'30''

We'll hear from Jerry Alford from the Soil Association, Beth Metson from the Soil Association Exchange - and Lauren Baker from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food will tell us that we need to respect farmer experience and indigenous knowledge as much as we do peer-reviewed science.

I'll talk to Neil Nicholas from Coleg Sir Gar about slurry spreading, and Charlie Taverner from the FFCC will tell us what the UK government's got wrong about food security.

First up, I discuss the 'Land squeeze’ report with Nettie Wiebe from IPES-Food.

Nettie Wiebe, IPES-Food - 0' 42''

Lauren Baker, Global Alliance for the Future of Food - 11' 40''

Jerry Alford, Soil Association - 25' 40''

Beth Metson, Soil Association Exchange - 34' 42''

Neil Nicholas, Coleg Sir Gar - 44' 35''

Dr Charlie Taverner, Food, Farming and Countryside Commission - 52' 01''

Farming at its best - agroecological or regenerative farming - can deliver a broad range of positive environmental and social outcomes. But at its heart, farming is a business. To scale the positives we need to scale the business of regenerative and agroecological agriculture - and for that we need investment.

Pelican Ag is a venture capital business that invests in regen ag technology - I wanted to know more about what venture capital is - how it can help regen ag - and what makes venture capitalists tick?

ffinlo Costain talks to Pelican Ag founder partners, Christopher Ramsay and Simon Evill.

Six Inches of Soil is the hit UK film that traces the trials and tribulations of three young farmers who are each trying to work regeneratively with their land.

Anna Jackson, farms an 800 acre mixed farm in Lincolnshire with her dad, Andrew - (0'50")

Beef farmer Ben Thomas has 75 acres of field and agroforestry in Cornwall - (16'24")

And Adrienne Gordon produces veges, salad and edible flowers in around four acres of market garden in Cambridgeshire - (29'36")