Camilla Cavendish’s FT Weekend column “The metropolitan elite has ignored farmers for too long” (Opinion, February 24) suggests the rural policy dilemma is balancing the carbon challenge with food production. But there is so much more.
Farmers can use natural techniques to slow water flows and reduce flooding. They can increase biodiversity to offset the biodiversity impact of huge housebuilding ambitions.
These are popular concerns, not just of the so-called elites. Both can be rural revenue streams. They suggest a new role for farmers that, yes, delivers food but also so much more.
David Haggie
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK
