The Death of a Green Promise
Why England’s Farming Funding Freeze Should Alarm Us All
“There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. There are hundreds of ways to go home again.”
— Rumi
In the spring of 2025, a quiet betrayal happened in the English countryside.
The British government, once a champion of sustainable farming through its Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) program, abruptly froze all new applications. No warning. No alternative plan. Just silence—and a devastating halt to progress.
Amelia Greenway, a farmer who had been turning degraded grassland into a thriving carbon-sequestering meadow rich with biodiversity, was one of the many who received a chilling message: “Application cancelled.”
This isn't just a policy shift. It’s a profound failure of vision at a time when the soil beneath our feet is crying out for regeneration. And it should scare us all.
A Broken Promise to the Earth
The SFI was more than a subsidy. It was a promise—a contract between government and land stewards to regenerate the land, restore the soil, and rebuild ecological resilience.
Farmers signed up by the thousands. They sowed cover crops, protected hedgerows, planted pollinator habitats, and reduced chemical inputs—all while being paid to do the right thing.
Now? That support is gone.
The logic of “pausing to review” fails to account for the lived reality of ecological time. Soil doesn’t pause. It erodes. Microbial life dies. Farmers lose heart.
We are witnessing the unraveling of a regenerative revolution.
This Is Not Just a UK Problem
Globally, over 33% of the planet’s soils are degraded. That statistic is more than just academic—it’s existential. Soil is the skin of the Earth. When it dies, civilizations collapse.
From the Syrian drought that helped spark a war to the Dust Bowl that emptied the Great Plains, degraded soil is the invisible thread behind many of history’s collapses.
Regenerative agriculture—farming that works with nature instead of against it—is our best shot at reversing this trend.
Yet here we are, watching one of the wealthiest nations on Earth pull support from farmers trying to do the most important work on the planet: healing the soil.
The Real Cost of This Decision
If the UK walks away from regenerative policy now, it sends a dangerous message to other countries grappling with how to feed their people without destroying their ecosystems.
It’s not just about England. It’s about precedent.
It’s about whether we believe that food systems can be part of the climate solution—or whether we double down on extractive agriculture that poisons land, empties aquifers, and drives small farmers into debt and despair.
What Can We Do?
We can stop this regression. And here’s how:
Raise Our Voices
If you're in the UK, call your MP. Write. Organize. Demand a return of funding for the SFI and transparency about its future.Stand With Farmers
Support farmers who are going regenerative. Buy directly from them. Share their stories. They are not just growers—they are healers.Global Solidarity
From California to Cornwall, we are one movement. Let this be a rallying cry for those of us worldwide fighting for regenerative policies. Speak out, wherever you are.Host a Screening
Share the story. Common Ground isn’t just a film—it’s a spark. Host a screening in your town or online and connect the dots for your community.
This Is About Our Legacy
As I wrote in Kiss the Ground, our most radical act may be this: planting something, together, and tending it as if the future depends on it—because it does.
Let us not forget that policies are not set in stone. They are shaped by pressure, by protest, and by passion.
This is not the end of the regenerative story. It’s just the next chapter—and we are all authors.
The question is: Will we write a story of retreat, or one of renewal?
Let’s choose renewal.
Let’s save the soil.
Let’s kiss the ground—and mean it.
One last public announcement:
After years of soil, sweat, and soul—Common Ground is finally STREAMING WORLDWIDE on Amazon Prime this Earth Day, April 22.
This film has been a true labor of love for Rebecca and me. It’s more than a documentary—it’s a call to action, a love letter to the land, and a blueprint for hope.
If you’ve ever felt the ground shift beneath you and wondered if we can still heal what’s been broken—this story is for you.
Join us. Watch it. Share it. Let it move you to plant a seed—literal or metaphorical.
Because together, we can regenerate the Earth.
✊ In solidarity and soil,
— Josh Tickell
Director, Common Ground
www.commongroundfilm.org
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Watch the trailer for Common Ground at commongroundfilm.org
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