The Jordans Farm Partnership

The Jordans Farm Partnership

© Matthew Roberts

Polly Rattue from Jordans offers an insight into the partnership that puts nature at the heart of their cereal farming.

Along with producing delicious golden oats, loving and protecting nature has always been at the heart everything we do at Jordans. Caring for the environment is as much a part of our DNA as making great-tasting cereals, and we have our founders Bill and David Jordan to thank for that. They started us on our journey 49 years ago! Nature provides us with so much, starting with our wonderful ingredients. To us at Jordans, the relationship between the tasty cereals we make and the environment that we source our ingredients from is symbiotic – so it’s only right that we are there for nature too!

Nature, however, is in big trouble. According to the State of Nature report, one in seven native UK species face extinction and 40% are in decline. In particular, the farmland creatures that so many of us have grown up with are trouble. 70% of UK land is farmed, meaning that the way farmland is managed has a big impact on wildlife. Farmland birds, for example, have seen sharper declines than those in any other habitat – but it doesn’t have to be this way. For 30 years now, our oat farmers have been making space for wildlife on their farms at the request of Jordans.

We pioneered the Jordans Farm Partnership with The Wildlife Trusts, LEAF and The Prince’s Countryside Fund, which is in its fifth year of caring for precious wild spaces and farmland to support nature. Our oat farmers go above and beyond for nature, protecting and dedicating at least 10% of their land to wildlife as part of the Jordans Farm Partnership and the results of that great work are amazing. With the help of local Wildlife Trust experts, our growers meet industry-leading standards for sustainable farming, paying particular attention to soil health, carbon, and water. Over the last five years we’ve protected more than 4,200 hectares for wildlife – that’s an area close to the size of Oxford!

Every farm is different, and every farmer works hard at maintaining these diverse habitats for wildlife. Luckily, their Wildlife Trust advisor is always on hand to help them make the most of their land to bring the greatest benefit to local wildlife. Wildlife protection plans are unique to each farm and could be anything from ensuring that ground-nesting birds have somewhere to shelter, or that grasslands are created for beetles.

So that’s the Jordans Farm Partnership in a nutshell! It showcases what can be achieved by farming in a sustainable way and, we have to say, we’re very proud of our industry-leading practices. By working together with such brilliant farmers & partners, we’re not only able to produce great granola, muesli and cereal bars, but we also help protect nature that needs our help more than ever before. The Jordans Farm Partnership is what allows Jordans to continue to inspire everyone to enjoy the deliciousness of nature for generations to come. Head over to Jordans Cereals on Instagram and give us a follow to hear more about our delicious cereals and our commitment to protecting nature!

Polly has the wonderful job of working with Jordans’ farmers, partners and NGOs to drive their sustainability agenda forwards.