A mentoring programme has given a former BBC journalist the courage to embark on the right environmental projects for her family farm.
After working at BBC Wales, Sara Edwards returned to her family’s 200-acre farm on the Carmarthenshire-Ceredigion border, to continue the work of her father.
Throughout his years of looking after the farm he has seen great value in agri-environment schemes, planting 2,000 native trees and managing 1.5 miles of riverbank along the River Teifi.
Sara shares her father's passion for the environment, but is the first to admit that what she lacked when she took on fhe farm was her father’s practical knowledge.
“I realised how little I knew about how things worked, but what I did know was how much I wanted to learn," she says.
That gap was bridged after participating in Wales' Farming Connect mentoring programme, which allows farmers to receive support from their peers on a wide range of topics.
The mentor Sara was matched with was her near neighbour, Ioan Williams, who has undertaken substantial environmental work on his own farm.
This includes kilometres of hedgerow restoration and double fencing, tree planting and fencing streamside corridors.
With his support since 2020, Sara has planted hedgerows and small blocks of woodland and coppiced hedgerows.
“Last year we carried out a programme of hedge coppicing and gapping up and recreated one of the original fields," she explains.
From their first meeting, she has felt her confidence grow. “Ioan has walked the farm with me and my observational skills have improved with his guidance. He has made me more aware of the possibilities.
Ioan’s understanding of agri-environment schemes has also helped Sara with her applications for initiatives including the Glastir Small Grants scheme, the Habitat Wales Scheme and the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme.
She says: "I am carrying on with what my dad has always done, he has always been keen on planting here, and putting up nesting boxes.
“I am now the one who is physically doing these things and future proofing the farm for the next generation.
"It feels really good to see the farm in good heart while helping the environment and encouraging more wildlife."
Farming Connect, which is funded by the Welsh government, has a team of mentors who are able to issue support on a wide range of topics.
The programme is targeted at farmers and foresters of every age and business.
