2023-03-31-accounts - Ffcc Limited

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Annual Report 2022–2023

Radical and practical – our report of progress

	Contents
1	Foreword	3
2	Trustees’ Report	5
	Purpose and Principles	6
	Achievements during the Year	12
	Strategy and Future Plans	34
	Financial Review	38
	Governance and Management	40
3	Independent Auditor’s Report	44
4	Financial Statements	50
	Statement of Financial Activities	51
	Balance Sheet	52
	Statement of Cash Flows	53
	Notes to the Financial Statements	54
5	Reference and Administrative Details	69

SIR IAN CHESHIRE FOOD, FARMING AND COUNTRYSIDE COMMISSION

This Annual report covers the final year of our 2020 strategic plan. It is almost impossible to overstate the volatile, uncertain and complex conditions that characterised the context of our work since then. A global pandemic, exiting the European Union, war in Ukraine and the subsequent economic challenges – these are extraordinary times. Meanwhile the urgent imperative to tackle the crises in climate and nature, health and equity has been brought home to us yet again, with food supply chains further disrupted by weather extremes, leading to gaps on shelves, price hikes and even more people struggling to find and afford healthy food, produced sustainably.

In spite of – perhaps because of – this turbulence, we are seeing many examples of creative, innovative and practical leadership, where people are resolutely getting on with the things that make a real difference. We need more of this collaborative and courageous leadership – across businesses, governments and civil society – to face the difficult issues with a radical pragmatism.

I’m pleased to say that our work with our partners is having a positive and practical impact.

Making better land use decisions is fundamental to achieving public policy goals, from net zero to nature, flood management to food security, and rural housing to renewable energy. Insights from our Land Use Framework pilots in Devon and Cambridgeshire demonstrate the value of involving a broad cross-section of citizens and stakeholders in land use decisions. I’m pleased to see many of our recommendations appearing

in important reports, from the Royal Society, the Geospatial Commission and the House of Lords land use inquiry, among others.

Our Beyond Charitable Food Aid project tackled another critical issue – rising food insecurity and food bank use. Working with funders and food aid charities, we explored long-term strategies for fair, sustainable and dignified responses to food insecurity. Solutions proposed by citizens and communities are imaginative, respectful and eminently practical.

Working with colleagues in banking, finance and economics, and with our farming transition leadership group, we’ve identified the resources farmers need to transition towards more sustainable farming. Here, too, the ideas and solutions developed by the farmers on that journey give me optimism that we can solve our problems, with the right conditions and resources in place. Do look at our Field Guide stories to find out more.

Inspired by what we see and hear around the country, this coming year FFCC will be majoring on our new project – a national conversation about food. Food is fundamental to human health and wellbeing, and yet it is also at the nexus of the climate, nature, health and equity crises. When we ask citizens “what do we really want from food?” they tell us that these questions really matter to them, they want brave leadership in government and in business, and they want urgent action for a fairer, more sustainable future. Most importantly they have some radical and practical ideas to help us all get there. I look forward to sharing much more about this important and enlightening project throughout the year ahead.

Trustees’ Report for the Period Ended 31 March 2023

INTRODUCTION

The Trustees present their Annual report together with the audited financial statements of the Charity for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. The Annual report serves the purposes of both a Trustees’ report and a directors’ report under company law. The Trustees confirm that the Annual report and financial statements of the charitable company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the charitable company’s governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January 2019).

Since the Charity qualifies as small under section 382 of the Companies Act 2006, the Strategic report required of medium and large companies under the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013 has been omitted.

Thank you – as ever – to our funders, especially to Esmée Fairbairn Foundation who continue to contribute the substantial proportion of our core funding, my board and commissioners, our partners and the staff team who continue to go above and beyond in their work for our shared goals.

SIR IAN CHESHIRE FOOD, FARMING AND COUNTRYSIDE COMMISSION

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Our Approach

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Our Purpose
is to build a future where:
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How we Work
Healthy food is
Our Principles everybody’s business
We convene leadership
Mission led
Farming is a force for change
We communicate the research
Outcomes
The countryside works
oriented
for everyone
We support learning
through action
Systems focused Resources flow to
where they are needed
We engage and involve citizens
Practical
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Our Objects

Promoting sustainable development for the benefit of the public, in particular, but not limited to, by the following means:

The promotion of sustainable land use, in particular through agroecology.
The promotion of the prudent use of natural resources through sustainable food production and farming practices.
The promotion of sustainable means

Our Funding

FFCC is a mission-led organisation, here only as long as needed to support leadership and action to help implement recommendations in our 2019 report Our future in the land . Our core work as well as some specific projects are funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation and Rothschild Foundation, while other projects have been funded over the year by Local Trust, Aurora Trust, A Team Foundation, WCVA, WWF, Devon County Council, Geospatial Commission and Farming in Protected Landscapes.

of achieving economic development and regeneration.

In furtherance of the above, the Charity will provide funding, make grants or make financial or other awards in kind to individuals, organisations and community groups. The Charity will use the following definition of ‘sustainable development’ as set out in the 1987 Brundtland Commission Report: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Public Benefit

The Trustees are aware of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and are satisfied that FFCC’s work is strategically focused on its core purpose and charitable objects in order to deliver maximum public benefit with its resources.

Farming In Protected Landscapes Programme

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Convening Leadership

Over the last three years, FFCC has prioritised bringing together leaders to build consensus around the challenging issues affecting food and farming, land use and the countryside. This year, the work became all the more critical. With the war in Ukraine continuing, and the world responding to the political and economic upheaval, we also saw another rise in populist and polarising narratives.

We responded through initiatives such as FFCC’s Farming Transition Symposia series and the National Land Use Framework group, bringing leaders together to refocus attention on the things we agree on and places where we can make practical progress. This includes protecting and restoring nature; reducing and sequestering carbon; ensuring a just transition; paying farmers properly for providing public goods; and making it good business to produce healthy food in agroecological systems.

As well as our own work, we bring our leadership to support others, including:

Supporting the global Food and Land Use Coalition in their work at the Food Systems Pavilion at COP27 with a series of curated stories from the Field Guide. Three news stories and 30+ posts made us the second biggest voice within this hashtag, and our film generated more than 550 views.
Working with RSPB, National Trust and WWF on their People’s Plan for Nature, contributing to their citizen’s assembly and promoting the project across our social channels.
Co-signing a letter from over 50 international parties to strengthen the inclusion of food systems in the UN’s Koronivia process.
Hosting discussions and appearing on panels at events and conferences, including the International Regenerative Alliance conference, the Anthropy event at Eden Project, the 7th Nature of Prosperity Dialogue from the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), and a panel on the transformative role of ecocide law alongside Stop Ecocide International and the Soil Association, among others.

IMPACT STORY: ORIGINS OF THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION ABOUT FOOD

In the summer of ’22, senior leaders from food and farming, nature and environment, academic and civil society organisations met to take stock of progress towards our shared goals to tackle the climate and nature emergencies. We were concerned that, despite their stated intentions to act on climate, nature, health and ‘levelling up’, government and businesses were starting to row back from their commitments. We were especially frustrated by the underwhelming responses to the government-commissioned National Food Strategy. All too often, the inaction has been justified by ideas of what consumers want – “people don’t want a nanny state”, “consumers just want cheap food”, “we can’t afford action on climate and nature in a cost-of-living crisis” – and so on. Yet this wasn’t our experience – neither from the member organisations nor from our discussions with citizens. With the National Trust, RSPB and WWF about to launch a campaign alongside the Wild Isles

documentaries, including a citizen assembly, we also explored the potential to follow up with a big national conversation asking, “what do we really want from food?”

FFCC supported the work of the People’s Plan for Nature assembly, contributing our research and insights on food and health, land use, farming and nature. The citizens responded with great interest. One of their key recommendations in their report was to have a national conversation about food and diet. Building on this recommendation and working with other partners working in food systems, we developed the idea further and in Spring 2023 we launched a National Conversation about Food.

Implementing Recommendations

At the core of FFCC’s work are programmes that progress the recommendations in Our future in the land , led by experts in food, farming and countryside issues. They are linked by our ‘cross-cutting’ programmes, aligning leadership, promoting policy changes, and amplifying citizens’ voices and positive stories of innovation around the UK.

Food and Health

This year, we directed the food and health programme to address the national debate about the cost-of-living crisis and food-price inflation. Having previously published evidence about affordability and how the food debate tends to be framed (for example, in the run-down to the publication of Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy), we were well positioned to focus on projects related to poverty and emergency food aid.

Highlights include:

Partnering with Local Trust and International Futures Forum to host meetings between funders and charitable food providers to improve understanding of the funding landscape (see impact story).
Convening the Hunger and Hardship Steering Group and Network (which focuses on food insecurity and poverty) and developing assets, including a website and social media tools to help align messages between the organisations involved.
Collaborating in a conference with the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) at Aston University, highlighting people’s work to develop resilient and sustainable Bangladeshi food businesses. FFCC staff and Commissioners contributed to the conference, and we also created a short film widely shared on social media.

“ We know the food system is broken. But if we’re going to change things, it needs to be a collaboration between many different actors. FFCC’s evidence and research is a vital piece of this puzzle.”

DENISE BENTLEY, FOUNDER OF FIRST LOVE FOUNDATION & FFCC COMMISSIONER

IMPACT STORY: BEYOND CHARITABLE FOOD AID

The Beyond Charitable Food Aid project, in partnership with Local Trust and International Futures Forum, was designed to deepen understanding of the funding landscape, exploring the inherent tensions between the growing need for emergency food aid provision and developing a more resilient food system, in which food aid is the exception.

We were able to bring new voices to discussions and steer the conversation in ways that the participants found extremely helpful. The final report, shared by key parliamentary stakeholders, including Baron Nigel Crisp and Jo Gideon MP, was featured in Local Trust’s newsletter (reaching 1.5k people) and has been downloaded nearly 1,000 times from the FFCC website. An accompanying podcast to share the findings has had over 3,500 downloads.

FFCC conducted eight one-to-one interviews with funders and engaged 52 funders and community groups across five workshops – three in London, one in Manchester and one in Glasgow.

Bringing together partners to plan for a large-scale, citizen-led conversation about food.

Farming Transition

Our farming transition work focused on opportunities to build agreement and shared commitment to the agroecological transition. Food security dominated debates, pitted against the fragile consensus around farming for climate and nature. Drawing on our research, we continued to argue that this is a false dichotomy; robust food security depends on agriculture that works in harmony with nature and acts on climate change.

Highlights include:

Launching the Farming Transition Symposia series (see impact story for more).

“ I recommend the wonderful Food, Farming and Countryside Commission to anyone who does not know its work. Its conclusions are really heartening.”

Commissioning Chatham House’s Sustainable agriculture and food systems which generated nearly 5,000 views in the first week of publication, resulting in twice the average number accessing the Chatham House website.
Hosting events at the Oxford farming conferences, which brought together some of the most influential figures in the debate about land use and natural capital markets.

BARONESS ROSIE BOYCOTT, HOUSE OF LORDS, 25 JULY 2023

Helping develop the Consensus on Food and Farming, initiated by the Soil Association and RSPB, and co-signed by a growing group of farmer, green and citizen organisations.
Completing the design phase of the Upland Farmer Toolkit in partnership with others.
Reinforcing our core messages at a range of events including the Anthropy conference in Cornwall; the Nature, Net Zero and Food Security conference; and Groundswell – strengthening the influence of our recommendations in alliance with partners, producing compelling content and more.
Supporting partners through co-signing a letter with Green Alliance and WWF on trade standards, contributing to the Geospatial Commission’s launch of its National Land Data Programme, and helping ECIU to launch their report on food prices.

IMPACT STORY: FARMING TRANSITION SYMPOSIA SERIES

figures from Triodos Bank, the Green Finance Institute, the NFU and others, as well as farmers already working towards more sustainable farming.

The farming leadership group met throughout Covid-19 as an online forum, sharing insight, experience and advice with the programme team. In January 2023, they initiated a series of in-person meetings, bringing together diverse and expert perspectives from farming and finance (and other sectors) to tackle the problematic issues in food, farming and land use.

The first of a series of working papers, Finding the finance for growth , was well received when published in March 2023. These symposia will continue to explore the critical areas of the farming transition and provide insights into the innovative approaches adopted by farm businesses and how to break down the barriers that hinder progress.

Our inaugural event focused on financing the transition to agroecology. FFCC Commissioners Helen Browning and David Fursdon chaired the event which was attended by FFCC Chair Sir Ian Cheshire, Defra minister Lord Benyon and senior

Countryside for All

A breakthrough year for the countryside programme, FFCC recommendations from Our future in the land edged into concrete policy intentions.

Highlights include:

The Devon and Cambridgeshire local Land Use Framework pilots, which tested how Land Use Frameworks could address the real concerns and challenges in communities.
The work of the national Land Use Framework leadership group led by FFCC Commissioner Dame Fiona Reynolds, which played a critical role in bringing together stakeholders and helping to unify understanding and awareness of the issues.
The report from the House of Lords Committee on Land Use in England, the result of tireless work from their Lordships, including FFCC Commissioner Baroness Young of Old Scone. FFCC provided research background and gave evidence to the committee (see more in the impact story).

• Substantial progress towards a National Nature Service in Wales and in Cumbria. In Wales, with co-Chair Peter Davies, then Chair of Wales Council for Voluntary Action, we worked with partners RSPB, the Future Generations Commissioner, National Resources Wales, Groundwork Wales and Valleys Regional Park (VRP) to co-design and promote a demonstrator project for Nature Service Wales (NSW). This will offer targeted support and opportunities to those facing barriers to employment in environmental and conservation work. In Cumbria, we finalised the development of a blueprint for a Land and Nature Skills Service.

IMPACT STORY: LAND USE FRAMEWORK

This year, the government committed to publishing a Land Use Framework for England. We first suggested the idea in Our future in the land and have since built a broad alliance around the concept of a multifunctional, land-led, transparent and inclusive Land Use Framework, and have tested the mechanisms to make it work. The House of Lords report, the Royal Society’s Living Landscape report, the Glover Review and the Geospatial Commission’s report, which all came out during the year, were, among others, all instrumental in building momentum.

FFCC submitted evidence to the House of Lords Land Use Committee – evidence arising from insights from the pilots, and supported by our leadership groups. When the committee published its report, its recommendations for a Land Use Framework (chapter 5) reflected many of FFCC’s recommendations, including that the framework’s focus is multifunctional, broad and inclusive.

An event at the Oxford Farming Conference, hosted by FFCC, brought together senior decision makers and experts, and allowed people to ask questions and helped build consensus around the rationale for the framework. Our briefing documents have become key resources for partners (featuring on RSPB’s Nature Advocacy blog) and government stakeholders.

Our pilot projects in Devon and Cambridgeshire helped central and local government decision makers to understand how a Land Use Framework could work in practice (and conversations began in Northern Ireland for a similar framework there).

Work continues to ensure the adoption of a broad and comprehensive Land Use Framework, which could enable government departments to work together and find fair and sustainable solutions to challenges across transport, energy, infrastructure, renewables, food production, housing and more.

• In Devon, David Fursdon and Sir Michael Barber co-chaired the local leadership group. We partnered with the Environment Agency, the Geospatial Commission, the British Geological Survey and others to design and test land use decision-making mechanisms.

In Cambridgeshire, Dame Fiona Reynolds and Gavin Shelton co-chaired the local leadership group. Inclusive listening events around the county helped us understand and explore local priority issues related to land use decisions, including developing an exciting new spatial mapping tool which collates disparate datasets to aid land use decision-making.

“ The best example of a Land Use Framework has been created by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission”

HENRY DIMBLEBY, ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT COMMITTEE, 19 APRIL 2023

Finance

Throughout the year the cost of food and energy increased dramatically, with some people struggling to afford the basic requirements for a healthy life. Meanwhile, some businesses saw record profits, raising serious questions about whether resources are directed effectively to tackle fairly and equitably the crises in climate, nature and health. We turned our attention to those areas where FFCC can convene finance and market expertise alongside grassroots experience of resource constraints which are limiting progress in the agroecological transition.

We established a finance leadership group, chaired by FFCC Commissioner Professor Tim Jackson, which helped focus the work on financing sustainable agriculture, natural capital research and collaborations with partners. We commissioned South West Mutual to conduct a feasibility study for an Agroecology Development Fund pilot in southwest England. We were invited by LSE’s Financing a Just Transition programme to co-lead a strand of work assessing the social implications of land management transition in the UK, and we contributed to the publication of LSE’s Just nature briefing.

IMPACT STORY: NATURAL CAPITAL

As policymakers, businesses and farmers look for ways to achieve action on climate and nature, the conversation increasingly turns towards the potential of natural capital markets to deliver these. FFCC, supported by the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund, identified a need to understand better how these markets would work for farmers, particularly the small- and medium-size family farms. We commissioned Professor Fergus Lyon and Dr Amy Burnett from Middlesex University to investigate.

farmers. Over 1,300 people have visited the report pages on our website, and 250 have read the accompanying working paper. The project has also fostered collaboration and partnership with influential organisations, such as the GFI and Bankers for Net Zero.

Alongside this work, FFCC contributed to Financing a farming transition , published by Green Finance Institute (GFI), which outlined a roadmap to unlock private finance for a fair, sustainable farming transition; and the Bankers for Net Zero’s Fertile ground: Accelerating the transition to net zero agriculture . Taken together, this body of reports, consistent in their messaging, helped shape the government’s response in their publication, Nature markets: A framework for scaling up private investment in nature recovery and sustainable farming , published in March 2023.

Their Natural capital markets: What farmers and policymakers need to know and accompanying briefing paper explore the complex and rapidly changing territory, and questions the role government should take in shaping these markets. It identifies a missed opportunity for global leadership by the UK government in making natural capital more appealing and accessible to

Scotland

Resourcing Resilient Communities

Work in Scotland focused on establishing a just transition plan for agroecological farming, food and diets, and amplifying the voices of young, diverse and underrepresented stakeholders, empowering their participation in decision-making processes.

Building on the success of the FFCC-supported SEFARI Fellowship report on agroecology, we published the findings with a broad range of audiences. This research has proven influential, presented at prominent events such as the Royal Highland Show, the World Congress on Soil Science, and Arable Scotland, and discussed with policymakers at the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood. Moreover, our work has led to fruitful cooperation with researchers in the new Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Portfolio, and at the European Committee of the Regions and Scotland Europa.

Wales

The Nature Service Wales (NSW) partnership secured Welsh Government funding for the initial scoping phase of the programme in the South Wales region, helping to progress the development of a National Nature Service in Wales.

Through the Valleys Regional Park, the demonstrator project will offer targeted support and opportunities to those facing barriers to employment in environmental and conservation work. Confronting the nature and climate emergencies, building a green economy and plugging the current skills gap in critical sectors, NSW is a remarkable opportunity to empower the next generation and create a greener and more equitable future for all. The steering group continues its progress, advocating and promoting NSW, and exploring funding and partnering opportunities.

Outside our work for NSW, our focus in Wales has been on partnering and supporting the many collaborative initiatives working towards a more resilient and sustainable future for Wales’ food and farming landscape. Our collaboration with University of Wales Trinity St David’s Tir Glas team has focused on creating a sustainable farming and food network at its Lampeter Campus, leveraging an e-hub to disseminate vital information and best practices. We actively engage with Food Policy Alliance Cymru partners, developing our collective advocacy towards a more aligned and sustainable food system. We participated in events such as ‘Feeding Wales from the Ground Up’, for sustainable procurement and practices.

Northern Ireland

This year we raised significant funds to progress FFCC’s Northern Ireland work programme. The Aurora Trust (formerly Ashden Trust) committed to supporting the Growing Innovation Network (GrowIN) – a network of farmers with the shared purpose of peer-to-peer learning and exchange – for three years (see impact story for more).

Interest in land use decisions also rose up the agenda, giving the team the opportunity to share our insights from our work in England. In early 2023, we organised a roundtable discussion with policymakers in Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland, publishing a working paper to share the discussions that took place. One of its key recommendations was the creation of a Land Use Framework Working Group, which Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is now discussing. Over the year, the team held a series of meetings and dinners with the policymakers and stakeholders to build consensus and action related to the nation’s food and farming sectors.

Work also began on funding proposals to Esmée Fairbairn for a leadership programme for young innovators in the food and farming sector and for a feasibility study for a Groundswell-inspired event in Northern Ireland, both of which were ultimately successful.

IMPACT STORY: GROWING INNOVATION NETWORK (GrowIN) IN NORTHERN IRELAND

As regenerative and agroecological approaches gain traction in Northern Ireland’s farming communities, the GrowIN network continues to facilitate collaborations and the sharing of experience, ideas and knowledge between farmers. Funding from the Aurora Trust (formerly Ashden Trust) has made it possible to have sufficient resources to deliver effective network engagement.

out innovations from the next generation of farmers, land managers and entrepreneurs in the sector.

After relaunching the steering group as a collaborative enterprise, joint funding bids strengthened relationships with organisations such as the Nature-Friendly Farming Network and National Trust, and enabled us to deliver valuable events such as Farm Carbon Training and Trees on Farms. Over the next three years, GrowIN will continue engaging with stakeholders, providing educational campaigns, fostering innovation and organising regular events for knowledge exchange and skill development.

The FFCC’s GrowIN team delivered the Farm Biology campaign as a three-part series of online discussions with farmers covering soil, pasture and livestock – and shortlisted 11 students for the Innovation Competition with the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (sponsored by Germinal) to seek

Working for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Across the Sector

FFCC is committed to inclusion, equity and diversity, celebrating these qualities as essential principles of a fair and sustainable society. We work with our partners and demonstrate leadership and progress by consistently opting for practical actions in our team, our ways of working, our recruitment and our choice of projects.

Progress this year includes:

Showcasing stories in our Field Guide for the Future which are led by a diverse group of people.
Increasing the diversity of our team – including advertising positive action roles open only to candidates of Black, Asian, minority ethnic or mixed-race background.
Increasing the diversity of our governance, including our board and commissioners.
Creating stronger relationships and partnerships with aligned organisations, including taking part in the RACE Report work to address diversity in the environmental, climate and sustainability charity sector.

There are signs of progress, but change can feel frustratingly slow, and there is a great deal more that needs to be done in years to come.

IMPACT STORY: FFCC’S WORK WITH THE CENTRE FOR RESEARCH IN ETHNIC MINORITY ENTREPRENEURSHIP

With our Research Advisory Fellows, we are highlighting projects where people of colour are already fully engaged in, and leading work on, food systems issues. We are working with the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship at Aston University on two projects. The first is a funded PhD programme for a student to research food systems transformation (this year, a doctoral student of Black, Asian, minority ethnic or mixed-race background was recruited to undertake this). The second is a project with Bangladeshi food entrepreneurs on food systems resilience

in the curry and catering sectors. It aims to broker new relationships between food entrepreneurs and food producers and demonstrate their shared interest in developing more sustainable food and farming systems.

Our Field Guide for the Future series curates stories from farmers, community leaders, food businesses and many others who are working to build a better future.

Cambridge ACRE told us about the struggles they face to build affordable rural housing in Cambridgeshire

Citizens in the Peak District shared the challenges of navigating land decisions for sustainable transport

Garth Clark, then of the Rothschild Estate, talked about Wildfarmed’s innovative pasture cropping system

RSPB’s Georgie Bray shared the results of their nature-friendly flagship farm

We took curry house entrepreneurs to visit Five Acres community farm in Birmingham

In Herefordshire, sustainable construction professional Merry Albright talked about rivers, housing and community leadership

Kent Farmer Fidelity Weston talked about being paid to provide environmental benefits

Throughout the year, we talk to people around the UK to learn how they are working to tackle the food, climate and nature crises. These interviews and stories are featured on our website and attract a significant following. Go to ffcc.co.uk/field-guide-for-the-future to read about the people featured here (and many others) in more detail.

Oxfordshire farmer Martin Hamer “Maybe we should be accounting for public goods in equal measure to profit and yield”

Neil Marshall, Director of Growing with Grace in Yorkshire, explained how small-scale, sustainable farming can help build more resilient supply chains

Livi and Sammy from Middle Ground Growers in Bath talked about how community business models can attract new entrants into farming

Dominic Acland explained how a Land Use Framework can improve the health of the River Culm in Devon

Groundwork’s Katy Stevenson shared the experiences of young people in Wales and what a National Nature Service would mean for them

Agroforestry on Upland Farms

“We really do grow people alongside produce”, Prospect Trust’s Snakehall Farm, Cambridgeshire

Strategy and 4. Future Plans 34 35

Future Plans

This Annual report covers the final year in our three-year plan set out in 2020 when we first became an independent charity. It is a period characterised by unprecedented challenges – a pandemic, the war in Ukraine, exiting the EU and the subsequent changes in international trading relations, and growing climate, nature and health crises. This year, we’ve prioritised work that bolsters policy gains, strengthens the consensus for an agroecological transition, shapes new and positive narratives around food, and delivers our landmark projects.

Before considering the options to continue our work for a further term, FFCC Commissioners tested support for this with funders and partners. They told us that FFCC still plays an important role in the collective advocacy for food systems change. We have now received a proportion of our core funding for 2023–26 from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Rothschild Foundation and the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund.

In the next three years, our intention is to accelerate food systems change by aligning the strategic leadership in business, finance and governments, and by involving citizens in setting out their ambitions and priorities for fair and sustainable food and farming.

Our approach integrates cross-cutting and systemic activity (influencing policy change, aligning leadership and amplifying citizen voices) with thematic programmes focusing on food, farming and countryside matters. In this next phase, we are directing our resources towards aligning collective leadership and amplifying citizen voices to accelerate structural change in the food system. Our goal is to shift unhelpful narratives undermining action for change and to demonstrate how citizens want and expect radical and practical action that tackles climate, nature, health and equity crises.

The programmes will continue to build on the success of the last three years. We will demonstrate evidence of citizens’ appetite for a new version of the future where healthy food is everybody’s business. We will continue to tackle the structural problems in the food system – including the rise in emergency food aid and ultra-processed foods’ impact on health – and research the potential for innovative sustainable and localised food systems.

We will continue to build consensus around broad, inclusive pathways towards agroecology. Working with leaders and farmers across the sector, we will identify barriers to change, and how to overcome them; bank the areas where there is agreement; and find practical ways to resolve difficult issues. We will curate and help communicate the research and evidence that supports the agroecological transition. Overall, our focus is to demonstrate how farmers are a force for positive change in tackling the triple challenge of climate, nature and health.

We will build on the success of moving forward proposals for a multifunctional Land Use Framework and initiatives promoting economic wellbeing and equity in rural communities – including affordable housing, improved infrastructure and equitable access to services.

Across all of our work, we will examine how money flows to where it is most needed – strengthening the case for investments with positive public benefits, and a shift away from harmful business practices.

Looking back over the last year and ahead to the year to come, we are seeing significant challenges to the consensus for action on the climate and nature crisis, ostensibly driven by worries about the economic downturn and food and energy security. Food is at the crux of some of the most critical challenges, and this is why concerted global action on food systems is an essential lever to tackle these interconnected crises. Publicly stated reasons for the lack of government action have centred on so-called ‘consumer attitudes’ – “no one wants a nanny state”; “we can’t afford this in a cost-ofliving crisis”. Yet these distracting and polarising narratives are inconsistent with our experience working with citizens in their communities and serve to polarise and distract from where the real work is needed.

Through the ‘doorway’ of food – in which every one of us has a stake – FFCC is setting out to explore and test these widely stated assumptions in a National Conversation about Food. We are working with experts in narrative frames and participatory processes, with the programme starting in mid-2023 and continuing throughout the next year and beyond.

FFCC was set up in an uncertain and volatile time for the UK, to help shape a fairer, more sustainable future for all of us. Focusing on food, farming, countryside and land use, we connect quality research and diverse citizens’ voices to map out the pathways for a just transition, aligning and growing the leadership to back them. The next year is critical, with a general election for a government that will be in the driving seat for the decisive years to 2030.

Actions taken now will determine whether we are on track to tackle the climate, health and nature crises, and how we must adapt to a changing world. Our work aims to keep our collective attention firmly on that imperative, helping steer the debate away from distractions, and aligning it towards ambitious, hopeful, radical and practical action.

Financial Review

Overview of Financial Year

The Charity’s funding model is to seek grants from charitable foundations, government bodies and other organisations that wish to help the Charity deliver its objectives. Its first three years of existence were mainly funded by a core grant from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, recognised in previous accounting periods. This was supplemented in the year by a variety of project-specific grants.

At the start of the year, the Charity held reserves of £1,118,213 thanks to multi-year funding accounted for in previous years. During the year, the Charity received additional income of £2,121,325 and had total expenditure of £1,351,345 – creating a net surplus of £769,980. Reserves at the end of the year thus stood at £1,888,193. Of these, £167,714 were unrestricted, well above the minimum reserves policy. Core income for the year ahead had been secured by the end of the year, creating a strong start to the new year.

Income

The income for the year includes £610,785 of project-specific grants from the following funders: Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Local Trust, Aurora Trust, Rothschild Foundation, The A Team Foundation, WCVA, Geospatial Commission, Farming in Protected Landscapes, WWF and Devon County Council. Core grants of £1,510,000 for future years were also received, of which £1,310,000 was from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and £200,000 from Rothschild Foundation. Additionally, £540 was received in donations.

Expenditure

The operating model of the Charity is to employ a core team with the skills and experience to manage and deliver the charitable activities, and to enhance the scale and scope of work through the deployment of specialist contractors and partner organisations. Accordingly, the two largest categories of expenditure are on staff (£627,085) and contractors (£474,769). Other costs of charitable activities totalled £129,803. This expenditure broadly covers the costs of meetings, events and publications to disseminate information. The remaining £119,688 represents other support costs to enable the Charity to function effectively and to govern itself, including professional fees, commissioners’ honoraria, and the costs of hosting of co-working spaces and team meetings, necessitated as the Charity’s staff members are geographically dispersed and the Charity has no central office. Further detail is set out in notes 5, 6 and 8 to the financial statements.

Going Concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the accounting policies.

Reserves Policy

Our policy is to set a target level for unrestricted reserves based on the following components:

Estimated costs of an orderly and solvent dissolution in the event that there is insufficient prospect of continuing to deliver public benefit.
Prudent provision for parental leave and sickness pay.
Contingency for unforeseen expenses.

The Trustees have recently reviewed the likely costs of dissolution and the predictability of both income and expenditure in the operational model. This review has shown that the minimum unrestricted reserve level of £55,000 remains adequate.

Governance and Management

Constitution

AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE

The A&R committee comprises four trustees and is Chaired by the Treasurer, Dr Marg Mayne. It is responsible for oversight of financial management, risk and compliance.

PEOPLE AND GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

FFCC was incorporated on 17th April 2020 as charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales as company number 12562770, and is a registered charity number 1195790. The company has adopted the model articles of association for charitable companies published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Methods of Appointment or Election of Trustees

There are currently nine trustees, six of whom are commissioners. Trustees are appointed by the board on the basis of the essential skills and diverse experiences they bring to the governance of the organisation.

The P&G committee comprises three trustees and is Chaired by Dawn Austwick, OBE. It is responsible for oversight of organisational and staff wellbeing, including equality, diversity and inclusion, and compliance with employment legislation.

Key Management

The day-to-day delivery of the charity’s work is delegated to the chief executive supported by key management as follows:

Chief Executive

Sue Pritchard Chief Executive Rebecca Renfro Director of External Relations Dr Courtney Scott Director of Policy and Research Tom Burston Deputy Director (left in March 23) Tony Greenham Finance Director and Company Secretary (left in February 23)

Committees and Terms of Reference

The Board is supported in discharging its responsibilities by three Committees that report to the Board. Their terms of reference and composition are described below:

THE COMMISSION

The commission currently comprises 17 Commissioners. It is chaired by the Chair of the Board, Sir Ian Cheshire, and is responsible for oversight of programme strategy and activities to deliver the Charity’s objectives.

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The Trustees (who are also the directors of the Charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

Disclosure of Information to Auditors

Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees’ report is approved has confirmed that:

so far as that Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Charity’s auditors are unaware, and
that Trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Trustee in order to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Charity’s auditors are aware of that information.

Auditors

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP (FRS 102);
make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards (FRS 102) have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.

The Trustees will consider the appointment of auditors during the year.

Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees on and signed on their behalf by:

I Cheshire M Mayne Chair of Trustees Treasurer

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Charity’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Independent Auditors’ Report to the Members of FFCC Limited

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of FFCC Limited (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the Statement of financial activities, the Balance sheet, the Statement of cash flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the Annual report other than the financial statements and our Auditors’ report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

the information given in the Trustees’ report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements; or
sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Trustees’ responsibilities statement, the Trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditors’ report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and its members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

David Butler FCA DchA (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Bishop Fleming LLP

Chartered Accountants Registered Auditors 10 Temple Back Redcliffe Bristol BS1 6FL

Date: 18th September 2023

Bishop Fleming LLP are eligible to act as auditors in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

Our audit procedures have reviewed for evidence of management override, any ongoing legal cases, completeness of related party transactions, as well as an ongoing consideration of fraud and irregularities during the whole audit process.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditors’ report.

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Statement of financial activities (incorporating income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Income from: Donations and legacies Total income Expenditure on: Charitable activities Total expenditure Net income/(expenditure) Transfers between funds Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Net movement in funds Total funds carried forward Note 4 5 12	2,120,785 2,120,785 1,299,807 1,299,807 820,978 11,288 832,266 888,213 832,266 1,720,479 Restricted funds 2023 £	540 540 51,538 51,538 (50,998) (11,288) (62,286) 230,000 (62,286) 167,714 Unrestricted funds 2023 £	2,121,325 2,121,325 1,351,345 1,351,345 769,980 - 769,980 1,118,213 769,980 1,888,193 Total funds 2023 £	390,718 Total funds 2022 £
				390,718
				983,376
				983,376
				(592,658) -
				(592,658)
				1,710,871 (592,658)
				1,118,213

The Statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. The notes on pages 52 to 68 form part of these financial statements.

Balance sheet for the year ended 31 March 2023

Current assets Debtors Cash at bank and in hand Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Total net assets Charity funds Restricted funds Unrestricted funds Total funds Note 10 11 12 12	1,768,589 316,230 2,084,819 (196,626)	1,888,193 1,888,193 1,888,193 1,720,479 167,714 1,888,193 2023 £	936,103 267,380 1,203,483 (85,270)	1,118,213 2022 £
				1,118,213
				1,118,213
				888,213 230,000
				1,118,213

Statement of cash flows for the period ended 31 March 2023

Cash fows from operating activities Net cash used in operating activities Cash fows from investing activities Net cash provided by investing activities Cash fows from fnancing activities Net cash provided by fnancing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year	48,850 - - 48,850 267,380 316,230 2023 £	(30,740) 2022 £

		-

		-
		(30,740) 298,120
		267,380

The notes on pages 52 to 68 form part of these financial statements.

The entity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Charity has opted to have a voluntary audit in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and preparation of financial statements.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to entities subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on 18th September 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

I Cheshire M Mayne Chair of Trustees Treasurer

The notes on pages 52 to 68 form part of these financial statements.

Notes to the financial statements for the period ended 31 March 2023

Grants are included in the Statement of financial activities on a receivable basis. The balance of income received for specific purposes but not expended during the period is shown in the relevant funds on the Balance sheet. Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred income. Where entitlement occurs before income is received, the income is accrued.

1. General Information

2.4 EXPENDITURE

FFCC Limited is a private company limited by guarantee without share capital, registered in England and Wales. The registered office is 1–3 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol, England, BS7 8AA.

2. Accounting policies

2.1 BASIS OF PREPARATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) – Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

FFCC Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

2.2 GOING CONCERN

The Trustees assess whether the use of going concern is appropriate, i.e. whether there are any material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the Charity to continue as a going concern. The Trustees make this assessment in respect of a period of at least 12 months from the date of authorisation for issue of the financial statements and have concluded that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and there are no material uncertainties about the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, thus they will continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

2.3 INCOME

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.

Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the Charity’s objectives, as well as any associated support costs.

2.5 DEBTORS

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

2.6 CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

2.7 LIABILITIES AND PROVISIONS

Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.

Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.

2.8 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

2.9 PENSIONS

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme and the pension charge represents the amounts payable by the Charity to the fund in respect of the year.

2.10 FUND ACCOUNTING

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Charity for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

4. Income from donations and legacies

Donations Grants Grants	540 - 540 200,000 190,718 - 2,120,785 2,120,785 Restricted funds 2023 £ Unrestricted funds 2023 £ Restricted funds 2022 £ Restricted funds 2022 £	540 2,120,785 Total funds 2023 £
		2,121,325
		390,718 Total funds 2022 £

5. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Summary by fund type

3. Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgment

Estimates and judgments are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Critical accounting estimates and assumptions:

The Charity makes estimates and assumptions concerning the future. The resulting accounting estimates and assumptions will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results.

Convening leadership Implementing recommendations Resourcing communities Convening leadership Implementing recommendations Resourcing communities	45,641 - 5,897 51,538 25,000 - - 25,000 234,077 394,938 670,792 1,299,807 73,462 539,211 345,703 958,376 Unrestricted funds 2023 £ Unrestricted funds 2022 £ Restricted funds 2023 £ Restricted funds 2022 £	279,718 394,938 676,689 1,351,345 98,462 539,211 345,703 983,376 Total funds 2023 £ Total funds 2022 £

6. Analysis of expenditure by activities

Convening leadership Implementing recommendations Resourcing communities Convening leadership Implementing recommendations Resourcing communities 234,415 288,406 513,965 1,036,786 9,643 95,351 171,440 276,434 Activities undertaken directly 2023 £ Activities undertaken directly 2022 £	45,303 106,532 162,724 314,559 88,819 443,860 174,263 706,942 Support costs 2023 £ Support costs 2022 £	279,718 394,938 676,689 1,351,345 98,462 539,211 345,703 983,376 Total funds 2023 £ Total funds 2022 £

It should be noted that in the financial year ended 31 March 2023, there was an increase in the range of grants provided to the organisation to undertake specific projects. To improve reporting in line with this, staff time on charitable projects is now split out and allocated to specific projects. This change in bookkeeping practices means that prior year comparisons of charitable and support costs, particularly in relation to staff salaries, are not fully representative.

Analysis of support costs

Staf costs Communications and engagement Ofce costs Professional fees Governance costs Staf costs Communications and engagement Ofce costs Professional fees Governance costs	28,066 180 12,135 4,637 285 45,303 66,290 12,015 2,233 5,494 2,787 88,819 Convening leadership 2023 £ Convening leadership 2022 £	65,997 423 28,535 10,903 674 106,532 396,398 15,753 15,147 10,987 5,575 443,860 Implementing recommendations 2023 £ Implementing recommendations 2022 £	100,808 646 43,587 16,654 1,029 162,724 153,507 6,098 10,517 2,747 1,394 174,263 Resourcing communities 2023 £ Resourcing communities 2022 £	194,871 1,249 84,257 32,194 1,988 Total funds 2023 £
				314,559
				616,195 33,866 27,897 19,228 9,756 Total funds 2022 £
				706,942

Analysis of direct costs

Programme costs – staf Programme costs – contractors Programme costs – other Programme costs – contractors Programme costs – other	67,956 130,858 35,601 234,415 1,540 8,103 9,643 Convening leadership 2023 £ Convening leadership 2022 £	209,370 61,341 17,695 288,406 63,802 31,549 95,351 Implementing recommendations 2023 £ Implementing recommendations 2022 £	154,888 282,570 76,507 513,965 151,702 19,738 171,440 Resourcing communities 2023 £ Resourcing communities 2022 £	432,214 474,769 129,803 1,036,786 217,044 59,390 276,434 Total funds 2023 £ Total funds 2022 £

7. Auditors’ remuneration

	2023	2022
	£	£
Fees payable to the Charity’s auditor for
the audit of the Charity’s annual accounts	8,300	7,956

8. Staff costs

Wages and salaries Social security costs Contribution to defned contribution pension schemes The average number of persons employed by the Charity during the period was as follows: Employees The number of employees whose employee benefts (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 was: In the band £60,001–£70,000 In the band £70,001–£80,000 In the band £80,001–£90,000	523,883 48,401 54,801 627,085 2023 No. 16 2023 No. 1 - 1 2023 £	518,605 46,317 51,273 616,195 2022 No. 16 2022 No. 1 1 - 2022 £

10. Debtors

Due within one year Prepayments and accrued income	1,768,589 1768589 2023 £	936,103 936103 2022 £

11. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Other taxation and social security Other creditors Accruals and deferred income	147,641 13,459 10,428 25,098 196,626 2023 £	34,753 - 10,150 40,367 85,270 2022 £

The key management personnel of the Charity comprise the Trustees and the senior management team. The total amount of employee benefits (including employer pension contributions) received by key management personnel for their services to the Charity was £299,003 (2022: £224,157).

9. Trustees’ remuneration and expenses

During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration or other benefits (2022 – £NIL).

During the year ended 31 March 2023, expenses totalling £2,222 (2022: £Nil) were reimbursed or paid directly to Trustees.

12. Statement of funds – current year

ESMÉE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION

2020–23 Core Grant:

Unrestricted funds General Funds Prince of Wales Charitable Fund Restricted funds Esmée Fairbairn (2020–23 Core Grant) Esmée Fairbairn (Cost of Living Uplift Grant) Esmée Fairbairn (2023–26 Core Grant) Esmée Fairbairn (Cumbria) Esmée Fairbairn (SWAF) Esmée Fairbairn (Land Use) Aurora Trust (Project 1) Aurora Trust (Project 2) Devon County Council Geospatial Commission (Original) Geospatial Commission (Extension) WWF Cumbria FiPL (Project 1) Cumbria FiPL (Project 2) Local Trust Rothschild Foundation (Food) Rothschild Foundation (Core Funding) A Team (Project 1) A Team (Project 2) WCVA Total of funds 55,000 175,000 230,000 825,648 - - 28,516 - - 34,049 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 888,213 1,118,213 Balance at 1 April 2022 £	540 - 540 - 60,000 1,250,000 - 60,000 30,000 - 194,000 43,249 40,584 93,000 16,150 2,000 47,833 19,000 20,000 200,000 10,000 5,000 29,970 2,120,785 2,121,325 — (51,538 (51,538) (833,360) - - (23,401) (60,000) (21,139) (32,196) (27,280) (43,249) (43,284) (72,330) (16,150) (2,876) (47,833) (16,127) (15,612) - (10,000) (5,000) (29,970) (1,299,807) (1,351,345) Income £ Expenditure £	— (11,288) (11,288) 7,712 - - - - - (1,853) 1,853 - 2,700 - - 876 - - - - - - - 11,288 - Transfers in/out £	55,540 112,174 167,714 - 60,000 1,250,000 5,115 - 8,861 - 168,572 - - 20,670 - - - 2,873 4,388 200,000 - - - 1,720,479 1,888,193 Balance at 31 March 2023 £

A three-year grant awarded in April 2020 for a total of £2,454,972 for the part funding of the Charity’s activities including support costs.

Cost of Living Uplift Grant:

A further £60,000 towards salary increases from April 2023 onwards to mitigate the effects of the cost-of-living increase for staff.

2023–26 Core Grant:

A three-year grant for the part funding of the Charity’s activities including support costs from April 2023 onwards.

Cumbria:

A grant of £33,650 awarded in January 2022 towards the project costs of a feasibility study for a Land and Nature Skills Service for Cumbria.

SWAF:

A grant of £60,000 towards the establishment of the South West Agroecological Development Fund.

Land Use:

A grant of £30,000 towards the cost of encouraging the UK government to develop a Land Use Framework for England.

AURORA TRUST

Project 1:

£60,000 awarded in July 2021, for work in Northern Ireland to support the transition to agroecology.

Project 2:

£194,000 awarded in May 2022, for continued work in Northern Ireland to support the transition to agroecology.

DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL

A grant of £43,249 over the financial year as part funding for the Devon Land Use Framework pilot.

GEOSPATIAL COMMISSION

Original:

£40,548 granted over the year to part fund the Devon Land Use Framework pilot.

Extension:

£93,000 additional grant to further support the Devon Land Use Framework pilot, and to fund visualisation software for the Cambridgeshire Land Use Framework pilot.

WWF

13. Statement of funds – prior year

A grant of £16,150 for the Listening to Cambridgeshire project, an inclusive outreach project to capture community aspirations about land, food and nature.

CUMBRIA FiPL

Project 1:

A grant of £2,000 to part fund the Farming Smarter Toolkit project in Cumbria.

Project 2:

A grant of £47,833 to fund the development of the Upland Farmer Toolkit in Cumbria.

LOCAL TRUST

A grant of £19,000 to part fund the Beyond Charitable Food Aid project (previously called Beyond the Foodbank), convening funders to consider a future beyond food banks and emergency food support.

ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATION

Food:

A grant of £20,000 to support the Hunger and Hardship and Beyond Charitable Food Aid project (previously called Beyond the Foodbank) projects.

Core Funding:

A two-year grant of £200,000 for the part funding of the Charity’s activities including support costs from April 2023 onwards.

THE A TEAM FOUNDATION

Unrestricted funds General Funds Prince of Wales Charitable Fund Restricted funds Esmée Fairbairn (Core Funding) Local Trust (Big Local) Aurora Trust Devon County Council Geospatial Commission Esmée Fairbairn (Cumbria) Natural Resources Wales Nourish Scotland Local Trust (Beyond the Foodbank) Total of funds	55,000 — 55,000 1,650,471 5,400 — — — — — — — 1,655,871 1,710,871 Balance at 1 April 2021 £	— 200,000 200,000 — 3,178 60,000 44,778 28,830 33,650 7,546 5,596 7,140 190,718 390,718 — (25,000) (25,000) (824,823) (8,578) (25,951) (44,778) (28,830) (5,134) (7,546) (5,596) (7,140) (958,376) (983,376) Income £ Expenditure £	— — — — — — — — — — — — — — Transfers in/out £	55,000 175,000 230,000 825,648 — 34,049 — — 28,516 — — — 888,213 1,118,213 Balance at 31 March 2022 £

Project 1:

A grant of £10,000 towards partnership work to establish the South West Agroecological Development Fund.

Project 2:

A grant of £5,000 to support the Beyond Charitable Food Aid project (previously called Beyond the Foodbank).

WCVA (WALES COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION)

A grant of £29,970 towards the development of a National Nature Service in Wales.

PRINCE OF WALES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

Unrestricted funds received in prior years.

14. Summary of funds

16. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities

Summary of funds – current year

General funds Restricted funds	230,000 888,213 1,118,213 Balance at 1 April 2022 £	540 2,120,785 2,121,325 Income £	(51,538) (1,299,807) (1,351,345) Expenditure £	(11,288) 11,288 - Transfers in/out £	167,714 1,720,479 1,888,193 Balance at 31 March 2023 £

Summary of funds – prior year

General funds Restricted funds	200,000 190,718 390,718 55,000 1,655,871 1,710,871 (25,000) (958,376) (983,376) 230,000 888,213 1,118,213 Income £ Balance at 1 April 2021 £ Expenditure £ Balance at 31 March 2022 £

15. Analysis of net assets between funds

Analysis of net assets between funds – current year

Current assets Creditors due within one year Total 1,913,605 (193,126) 1,720,479 Restricted funds 2023 £	171,214 (3,500) 167,714 Unrestricted funds 2023 £	2,084,819 (196,626) 1,888,193 Total funds 2023 £

Net income/expenditure for the year (as per Statement of Financial Activities) Adjustments for: Decrease/(increase) in debtors Increase in creditors Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities	769,980 (832,486) 111,356 48,850 2023 £	(592,658) 550,050 11,868 (30,740) 2022 £

17. Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

Cash in hand Total cash and cash equivalents	316,230 316,230 2023 £	267,380 267,380 2021 £

18. Analysis of changes in net debt

Cash at bank and in hand	267,380 267,380 At 1 April 2022 £	48,850 48,850 Cash fows £	316,230 316,230 At 31 March 2023 £

Analysis of net assets between funds – prior year

Current assets Creditors due within one year Total 973,483 (85,270) 888,213 Restricted funds 2022 £	230,000 — 230,000 Unrestricted funds 2022 £	1,203,483 (85,270) 1,118,213 Total funds 2022 £

19. Pension commitments

The group operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the group in an independently administered fund. The pension cost charge represents contributions payable by the group to the fund and amounted to £54,801 (2022: £51,273). £6,797 (2022: £6,892) was payable to the fund at the balance sheet date and is included in creditors.

20. Related party transactions

Commissioners are eligible for honorarium payments for work carried out for the Commission and can claim £250 a day up to a maximum of £3,000 per annum.

During the year, the total honorarium paid to all commissioners was £11,750 (2022: £14,625). This included payments to the following Trustees, made wholly in respect of their work as Commissioners:

David Fursdon £3,000 (2022: £3,000)

Helen Browning £3,000 (2022: £1,250)

There were no payments made to Trustees in respect of their duties as Trustees.

In the prior year, the Charity procured accommodation and meals for a staff workshop for the sum of £623 from Helen Browning (Eastbrook Farm) trading as Helen Browning’s Royal Oak. Helen Browning is a Trustee of the Charity.

Several other venues were assessed for price, location and cancellation charges/booking flexibility and the Royal Oak was considered to offer best value for the Charity.

In 2022 the Charity was awarded a grant of £200,000 from the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund (‘PWCF’). Sir Ian Cheshire is the Chair of the Charity and also the Chair of PWCF. The Trustees have been informed that in order to prevent a conflict of interest arising, when PWCF were considering the grant award to the Charity, Sir Ian recused himself from the discussion and decision.

Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers for the Period Ended 31 March 2023

TRUSTEES

COMPANY SECRETARY

H Browning (appointed 17 April 2020) I Cheshire, Chair (appointed 17 April 2020) S Cramer (appointed 17 April 2020) D Fursdon (appointed 17 April 2020) U Ibrahim (Appointed 26 January 2023) C Jones (appointed 17 February 2021) M Mayne (appointed 20 April 2020) F Reynolds, Vice Chair (appointed 17 April 2020)

T Greenham (resigned 28 February 2023) D Finch (appointed 1 March 2023)

KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

S Pritchard (appointed 29 April 2020) R Renfro (appointed 6 July 2020) C Scott (appointed 1 Sept 2020) T Burston (resigned 1 March 2023) T Greenham (resigned 28 February 2023)

COMPANY REGISTERED NUMBER

12562770

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

Bishop Fleming LLP Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditors 10 Temple Back Bristol BS1 6FL

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER

1195790

REGISTERED OFFICE

1–3 Gloucester Road Bishopston Bristol BS7 8AA

ACCOUNTANTS

Griffin

Chartered Accountants 165 High Street Honiton Devon EX14 1LQ

ANNUAL REPORT 2022–2023 RADICAL AND PRACTICAL – OUR REPORT OF PROGRESS

Food, Farming & Countryside Commission 1–3 Gloucester Road Bishopston Bristol BS7 8AA

t: +44 (0) 20 7118 1870 w: ffcc.co.uk

Registered in England and Wales

The Food, Farming and Countryside Commission focuses on food and farming, climate, nature and the public’s health, for a just transition to a greener, fairer world. With partners in governments, businesses and communities, we generate radical ideas and practical actions to transform our countryside and our economy. We help convene collective leadership on the difficult questions and resource communities to become more resilient and adaptable for the challenges ahead.