Land Stewards: Farmer & Landowner Engagement

River-Friendly Land Stewards

During our From Source to Sea Pilgrimage in 2025, we brought together farmers, landowners, councillors, and environmental organisations to explore how we can collectively move towards more river-friendly land management practices. A key part of this work was a curated conversation focused on improving river and soil health through practical river restoration across the Medway catchment.

At the heart of this approach is a recognition of the essential role farmers and landowners play in restoring and protecting the River Medway. As day-to-day stewards of the landscape, they are uniquely positioned to influence the health of the entire catchment. The way land is managed - through soil health practices, crop and livestock systems, woodland creation, hedgerows, and riparian buffers - directly affects water quality, flood resilience, habitat connectivity, and the overall vitality of the river system. In many ways, the future of the river is inseparable from the decisions made on the land surrounding it.

Building on this understanding, we have continued to convene gatherings with land stewards in the Upper Medway catchment, with the intention that learning and collaboration ripple downstream through the wider landscape. These sessions create space to explore both what farmers and landowners can do to support river recovery, and what support, tools, and partnerships are needed to make that transition practical and viable.

With funding from River Action, we are hosting four facilitated gatherings designed to bring people together around shared meals, open conversation, and hands-on exchange. These meetings are helping to build trust, surface challenges, and develop new, collaborative approaches to regenerative land and water management that are rooted in the realities of farming and land stewardship.

If you would like to hear more about this stream of our work or get involved, please contact our farmers & landowners engagement lead, Monika Koncz MacKenzie: monika@regenerativedesign.co.uk.