Our Services

Agri-environment

The Challenge

Policy makers and partner organisations are working hard to develop new agri-environment schemes that support sustainable farming and environmental land management. There are multiple challenges including encouraging participation, blending public payments (from agri-environment schemes) with private payments (from green finance), and delivering ambitious environmental targets including improved soil and water quality, nature recovery and net zero.

Our Expertise

Cumulus Consultants has 30 years’ experience of integrating agriculture and the environment through agri-environment schemes. We are contributing to the design and development of the innovative Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme in England and the next generation of agri-environment and climate schemes in Scotland and elsewhere. We have a strong track record of agri-environment work for national, regional and local governments, NGOs, and industry membership organisations across the UK and internationally.

Our Agri-environment services

Our key agri-environment services include payment calculations and costings, and economic analysis and modelling – please see the service descriptions below:

Payment calculations and costings

Cumulus provides agri-environment scheme payment calculations and costings for government bodies developing national or regional schemes, as well as NGOs and industry membership organisations seeking to influence policy and/or inform members. This work includes developing and verifying building block data and income forgone calculations (partial budgets) for revenue payments, and collating and verifying cost data for capital payments. We also review and update payment calculations and costings, providing payment rate calculators and costing tools which are robust, repeatable and capable of expansion. Other areas of agri-environment payment advice and research include: compliance with WTO and EC standards (as appropriate); blending public and private payments to enhance budgets for agri-environmental delivery; and alternative payment methodologies for environmental land management.

Economic analysis and modelling

Cumulus undertakes economic analysis and modelling linked to agri-environment scheme development, implementation and evaluation. We analyse the economic impacts of agri-environment schemes on farm businesses and the wider economy, and assess the natural capital benefits. We research new agri-environment (and blended finance) options and undertake scenario analysis and modelling to explore the economic and environmental (including carbon) impacts of different options, disaggregated by farm type, to inform future policy and scheme design. We also build tools to enable clients to undertake further analysis themselves, testing the impacts of different options and payment rates.

“Thanks to Cumulus, our papers were very well received by delegates at the OECD Joint Working Party on Agriculture and the Environment. Thank you very much for your great contribution to the OECD public goods study. It’s been a pleasure working with Cumulus.”

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

“This research has helped us develop our understanding of grazing in the uplands and its central role in securing the future of some of our best loved wildlife and habitats.”

RSPB

“It’s been great to have the opportunity to work with you on a second ELM Test & Trials Project and I look forward to further opportunities to work together in the future.”

North York Moors National Park Authority

“I’m really pleased with how this has turned out. It will be a very useful advocacy tool for us – not just in Scotland, but in other parts of the UK as well. I would highly recommend Cumulus, and Lockett Agri Environment, for future work. This team has a wealth of experience, is proactive, easy to work with and delivers a very high standard of reporting that fits with the requirements of government and other public agencies that we are trying to influence.”