Opinion: Solar energy investments can continue to benefit agricultural businesses

Farmers face countless pressures, from the effects of climate change to financial constraints, crop failures and disease epidemics.

Combined with population growth, changing tastes and urbanization, it is extremely difficult for agricultural businesses to maintain consistent profits or break even.

And in the UK, where 70% of land is farmed, it is crucial to balance food and energy production with environmental protection.

See more: Government tightens rules on solar panels amid farmland regulations

As the call for sustainable agriculture grows louder, the agriculture industry finds itself in a paradox: under pressure to adopt more sustainable practices, while also struggling with the financial viability of making such changes.

The politicization of food production compared to fuel production complicates matters further.

Therefore, the only way to start creating resilient agricultural systems is through collaborative efforts.

Recent advances in renewable energy offer great promise for a sustainable future, and we are producing more renewable energy than ever before.

Despite widespread concerns in the farming community about land use, the development of solar energy offers enormous potential not only to diversify our energy mix, but also to secure the future of farms.

Research by Friends of the Earth shows that England alone could produce 13 times more renewable energy using less than 3% of its land.

With such promising statistics, we need to wake up and rethink our approach to long-term land use in this country.

Farmers play a key role in expanding land use beyond food production towards sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, recreation and energy production.

Farmers who are stewards of the land will benefit from understanding that solar energy generation can work fully harmoniously with agriculture, wildlife and nature while solving a range of problems.

Solar energy generation is currently one of the most effective methods of diversifying agricultural activities.

This is a way to introduce a new revenue stream from less productive land.

And for the growing number of farm families without a succession plan, it represents a solid way to generate income into the future, in many cases for an average of 40 years or more.

When farmland is used strategically to generate energy and renewable income, the farmer is protected by an additional buffer against the challenges created by financial shocks, such as market movements, extreme environmental conditions and supply chain issues.

At a time when market volatility makes it virtually impossible for agriculture to remain profitable while remaining compliant, solar energy is paving the way to sustainable and stable income.

In addition to opening up new, more stable revenue streams, it can also allow for soil reclamation and protection.

Solar panels can be installed with minimal impact on the land, allowing the land to enjoy a much-needed break from traditional farming practices and regenerate.

In the long term, farmers could see improved soil health, which in turn increases the overall productivity of farmland for the benefit of future generations.

From reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers to creating safe havens for pollinators, renewable energy production can help protect biodiversity, benefiting the entire farm ecosystem.

By strengthening industry efforts to raise awareness and share knowledge, policymakers and regulators have a key role to play in supporting the integration of solar PV on agricultural land.

We all need more clean and sustainable renewable energy, and farmers, like every business, need long-term financial security.

For this to happen, we need further political support and policy changes to accelerate the achievement of net zero targets, because the planet will not wait and farmers cannot wait.