A white washed farm with sheep in a wooden valley with high fells behind

Farming in Protected Landscapes

Grant funding for farmers and landowners

As we enter the final year of FiPL in the Lake District, we have already committed 90% of our project spend for the 2024-25 programme year and have a pipeline of projects awaiting development. As such, our immediate priority is to focus on applications and expressions of interest received before 1st May 2024, which we are currently assessing in line with our local priorities and remaining budget.

However, if you have a small-scale project that could deliver for People, Place, Climate or Nature we would still like to hear from you. For enquiries received after 1st May 2024, we will log your interest at this stage, we will be in touch in due course, if we receive additional FiPL funding later in the year, and if your project fits with our local priorities.

These are our local Farming in Protected Priorities in the Lake District National Park

We want to meet the needs of the farming sector during the agricultural transition and reach farmers in the greatest need. We want to support more farm clusters working together to address food production, nature, climate and cultural heritage.

Climate

Farm carbon audits and action plans for individual farms and groups of farms.

Low carbon actions and changes to land management.

Climate resilience projects for example natural flood management actions.

Events and engagement that increase farmers' awareness and understanding of low carbon/resilient landscapes.

Nature

Practical nature delivery on individual farms and groups of farms. Including adding missing nature elements into the landscape, for example creating woodland edge, or widening hedge bottoms.

Baseline surveys and mapping of habitats and nature recovery opportunities, especially across farm clusters or valleys.

Training for farm environmental assessments, monitoring, and delivery skills.

Changes that deliver resilient nature-friendly farm businesses.

People

Enhancing rights of way network by improving key links, accessibility, resilience to flooding & erosion.

Improving people's experience of the right of way by enhancing nature or historic features and people's understanding along the route.

Engaging people on farms through farm open days, information boards, organised group visits, volunteering, visitor engagement business opportunities.

Improving accessibility and opportunities for more diverse audiences on farms.

Place

Working with commoners and commons associations  to support the transition of commons from current agri-environment schemes into ELM.

Repair and consolidation of Lake District farming historic features, for example kilns, packhorse bridges, sheep folds and washes, pig hulls, hennery piggeries, bee boles, bields and shard fences.

Support businesses most vulnerable to the agricultural transition to prepare for the future. Building resilience including preparing for ELM and diversifying income streams.

Supporting individual and groups of farm businesses to develop and/or diversify their businesses by using World Heritage status.

What makes a great project:
Innovation – projects that try out new ideas & solutions to problems
Diversification – projects that boost farm income through new revenue streams
Transformation – projects that see distinctive changes in farm management
Collaboration – projects that see farmers working together
Leadership – projects that support other farmers to learn & follow example
Replicability – projects that can be easily rolled out on other farms

Our farming officer talks about what the Farming in Protected Landscapes grants can do

FiPL End of Year Report 2023/24

FiPL End of Year Report 2022/23

FiPL End of Year Report 2021/22

Case studies in blogs show some projects already funded by FiPL

See all Farming in Protected Landscapes blogs


How to apply for funding -  UPDATED 5 July 2024. We are currently not accepting new applications. If we receive more funding later in the year we will update this page.

  1. Check that your farm is within the Lake District National Park boundary
  2. Fill in our Farming in Protected Landscapes enquiry form with brief details of your ideas or questions about projects you want to apply for.
  3. For enquiries received after 1st May 2024, we will log your interest at this stage, we will be in touch in due course, if we receive additional FiPL funding later in the year, and if your project fits with our local priorities.
  4. Your full application will go to the assessment panel's regular meeting and they will decide which applications are approved for funding

Please note: As we enter the final year of FiPL in the Lake District, we have already committed 90% of our project spend for the 2024-25 programme year and have a pipeline of projects awaiting development. As such, our immediate priority is to focus on applications and expressions of interest received before 1st May 2024, which we are currently assessing in line with our local priorities and remaining budget.

However, if you have a small-scale project that could deliver for People, Place, Climate or Nature we would still like to hear from you. For enquiries received after 1st May 2024, we will log your interest at this stage, we will be in touch in due course, if we receive additional FiPL funding later in the year, and if your project fits with our local priorities.

Fill in our enquiry form.

The Agricultural Transition Period 2020-2027

Farming advice pages:

The Lake District National Park aims to:

  • Help farmers preserve the attributes of the World Heritage Site by working with farmers to maintain the tradition of agro-pastoral upland farming.
  • Enhance the special qualities of the Lake District National park by working with farmers, landowners and key partners to secure good environmental management and enable nature recovery in the park.
  • Assist farmers in the Lake District in securing the future of their businesses through the agricultural transition by running the Farming in Protected Landscapes Scheme.
  • Work with farmers to enable solutions to the key challenges of climate change, nature recovery and the future of farming and forestry in the Lake District.
Need someone to talk to?

The Farming Community Network can help you and your farm business stay strong and resilient. Visit www.farmwell.org.uk for contact details.

Claire Headshot

Meet our Farming Officer

Claire Foster works with the farming community across the Lake District National Park, to help farmers learn from and support each other.

Contact Claire:

Eliza Headshot

Meet our Assistant Farming Officer

Eliza Hodgson works with the farming community across the Lake District. Her main focus is to help to deliver the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme.

Contact Eliza: