Farmers are not resisting sustainability. They are already delivering it.

With this in mind, there is enormous opportunity for organisations to work with the farming sector towards this collective goal.

89% of British farmers surveyed in our Pinstone Pulse research say they are actively improving soil health, and on average they are implementing eight different sustainable practices on farm.  

More than six in ten are willing to make significant changes to how their farm is run to be more sustainable; rising to 85% if the right financial support is in place.  

And yet, 92% feel their environmental work goes unrecognised. It’s a complex landscape to navigate. 

I was intrigued to read that Defra has just announced a £650,000 investment to educate civil servants in agricultural practices.  

Clearly policymakers do need to upskill given the knowledge gap Minnette Batters has rightly exposed given the implications of decisions made in Whitehall.  

And while the value of that investment to the taxpayer may be debated, it’s clear that even those in the highest echelons of power are hearing that the farming/sustainability behaviour gap isn’t so much the issue. 

There is a need for sustainability and business decisions to align, but beyond that, there is a communication gap to urgently address. 

The question for those leading sustainability in farming – whether in agribusiness, food supply chains, policy, advisory bodies or membership organisations – is not 'How do we push harder to make change happen?’, but ‘What do we change about how we engage?’

1. Start with recognition – not demand 

One of the most striking findings from the report is what we call the ‘recognition crisis’. 

Farmers feel judged. Misunderstood. Overlooked. 

One farmer event stated: “We’re doing the work, but carrying the blame.” 

This helps tell the story about why farming may appear resistant to change. 
If your communications are framed around ‘what must be done’, without acknowledging what is already happening, you are starting on the wrong footing. 

What next? 

• Lead with evidence of progress 
• Spotlight existing best practice 
• Provide peer-to-peer inspiration 
• Frame farmers as solution-holders, not problems to be solved 
• Celebrate practical achievement before calling for acceleration. 

Recognition builds trust. And trust precedes change. 

2. Choose language with care

Words matter.  

Our research shows that 64% of farmers say language directly affects how much they engage, and 65% believe too much corporate-sounding jargon puts them off.  

The phrase 'farming with nature' is welcomed by 92% of farmers. By contrast, terms like 'climate emergency' and 'net zero' trigger significant disengagement.  

If sustainability is communicated in a way that feels emotive, political or disconnected from the day-to-day realities of farm business, engagement stalls before it begins. 

What next? 

• Use plain, practical language 
• Anchor messages in productivity and land management 
• Connect environmental goals to commercial performance 
• Avoid jargon unless you are prepared to back it up with meaningful, farm-level explanation.

Farmers are hungry for technical depth – particularly younger farmers – but they want clarity first, detail second. 

3. Align profit and purpose 

Nine in ten farmers cite financial and economic pressures as barriers to doing more in the sustainability arena. 

The top motivator for change is improved margins and stronger income, closely followed by stewardship of the farm for a sustainable future.  

This is not profit versus planet. 

It is profit and purpose. 

If your sustainability communications focus solely on environmental targets without addressing commercial reality, they will lack credibility. 

What next? 

• Lead with ROI and productivity 
• Demonstrate commercial resilience alongside environmental gain 
• Be explicit about financial pathways, incentives and long-term returns 
• Recognise that ‘you can’t go green if you’re in the red’. 

Economic sustainability is environmental sustainability. 

4. Think harder about the messenger 

Trust in farming is relational. It differs from other business models, with decisions not only having long-term implications, but influencing generational and emotive factors linked to the land. 

Farmers place greatest trust in other farmers and advisers. Our research backed up our long-held understanding that advisers, trade media and fellow farmers are the top three sources of advice.  

Government, by contrast, ranks extremely low as a trusted voice.  

Meanwhile, digital influence is rising. 78% are increasingly relying on social media, and 86% say they are turning more to influencers than five years ago.  

The lesson is to seek to engage those who farmers are listening the hardest to. 

What next? 

• Invest in peer-to-peer storytelling 
• Empower and elevate the standing of your advisers with credible, practical content 
• Use respected trade media strategically 
• Blend traditional and digital channels – don’t abandon one for the other 
• Be cautious about chasing digital metrics if they don’t reflect meaningful farmer reach. 

Farmers default to advisers and peers for validation – don’t fight it.

5. Offer stability, not just urgency 

Two-thirds of farmers fear government guidance will change after they make an investment. Uncertainty is the dominant risk factor. 

For many, the fear is not change itself. It is what comes after. It can lead to a static stance because of the lack of certainty. Clearly, there is only so much an organisation can influence, but framing communications to acknowledge the real risk is vital and generating a sense of urgency alone will not drive progress. Stability will. 

What next? 

• Communicate clear, consistent long-term pathways 
• Avoid over-promising 
• Be transparent about risks and timelines 
• Show practical case studies where change has worked in real-world conditions. 

Consistency builds confidence. And confidence unlocks investment. 

6. Be present and communicate where farmers actually are

Farming’s media landscape is shifting, but loyalty to trade media remains strong and events and in-person gatherings are important forums. 

At the same time, search, social and influencers are gaining ground – particularly among younger farmers. Choice of channels needs careful consideration – and it’s not an either/or equation. 

What next? 

• Maintain presence in established agricultural titles 
• Support in-person events and respected speakers 
• Collaborate with others to galvanise resource and access to a breadth of networks 
• Take an issues-led approach to storytelling and engaging farmers 
• Optimise for search, understanding that trusted online sources may be your most valuable referral  
• Invest in authentic digital voices with real farm credibility 
• Avoid purely digital, metric orientated strategies that can mask the real measure of trust and authentic engagement. 

Meet your audience where they are and align them on the issues they care about. 

7. Commit for the long term 

Trust in farming is hard won and easily lost. 

Sustainability is not just a technical shift. It is personal. It affects livelihoods, identity and generational legacy. 

Almost half of farmers feel optimistic about the sector’s ability to address sustainability challenges but stand alone ‘fly by night’ campaigns rarely deliver in isolation. 

The optimism in the sector must be nurtured and that requires consistency, persistence and conveying a mutual understanding.  

Showing-up month-in, month-out and encouraging a dialogue with the farmer audience that’s talking their language isn’t always glamorous or demanding of a flag-waving fanfare, but it garners respect and trust, and that’s the foundation for positive progress. 

From insight to action 

The findings of our Pinstone Pulse report ‘From Pressure to Partnership’ concludes that farmers are willing and ready to act on sustainability – and are already on the journey. 

They want partnership, not pressure and the organisations that will lead successfully in this space will be those who: 

• Listen first 
• Recognise before they demand 
• Align commercial and environmental narratives 
• Elevate trusted voices 
• Speak plainly, but with depth 
• Invest in sustained, issue-led communications grounded in real insight. 

At Pinstone, we believe that effective sustainability engagement begins with understanding the farmer mindset in its full complexity – motivations, barriers, language, trust networks and lived reality. 

When communications are built on that foundation, they do more than inform, they resonate. 

A long-term campaign approach with resonance is what turns ambition into action and positive change. 
 

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