FarmED is a Finalist in BBC Food & Farming Awards
Oct 05, 2026
FarmED has been named a finalist in the Farming for the Future Award at the BBC Food & Farming Awards 2026 and has featured on BBC Radio 4’s On Your Farm.
The three finalists in each category were chosen from thousands of nominations by an expert panel of judges led by chef Paula McIntyre.
The judges were looking for those individuals and businesses who make life better through food. They could be at the cutting edge of innovation, leading on the best environmental practices or bringing communities together.
The Farming for the Future Award with The Archers and BBC Farming Today, was judged by Farming Today and BBC Countryfile presenter, Charlotte Smith and Mali Harries, who plays Natasha Archer in the Radio 4 drama.
While visiting FarmED, Charlotte and Mali recorded an episode of Radio 4’s On Your Farm. FarmED Co-founder, Ian Wilkinson, explained how FarmED is a place for people to have important conversations about the future of farming and explained how crop rotations can help produce food, restore nature and keep farms resilient. Ian also showed them an experiment which demonstrates how diverse leys improve how soil retains water and mitigates against drought. They also talked to FarmED’s Head of Science, Dr Lydia Smith, about novel crops like industrial hemp. And of course they finished their visit by enjoying cake in The FarmED Cafe.
The episode of On Your Farm was broadcast on 4th Octobe, click here to listen!
‘Being a finalist in the BBC Food and Farming Awards is a wonderful recognition of the work happening here at Honeydale Farm and of our wider mission to inspire, educate and connect people around a more regenerative future for farming and food,’ says Ian Wilkinson.
This year the awards ceremony takes place in Belfast, where the winners will be announced. The event is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and FoodNI.
Recent news items
