Bridging Research and Practice: A Field Trip to FAI Farms

As part of the Agile Initiative’s 2025 Community Building & Training (CB&T) Programme, a group of University of Oxford researchers visited FAI Farms on Wednesday, 9^th April for an interdisciplinary field trip focused on regenerative farming and nature recovery. The visit was designed to provide hands-on learning and create space for discussion about how academic research translates into real-world land management practices. 

The day began with an introduction from Karl, Director and farm manager at FAI Farms, outlining their approach to regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems. FAI Farms, located just outside Oxford, has been a long-standing site of experimentation in soil health, biodiversity, water management, and sustainable livestock. Karl’s overview was followed by a two-hour guided walk through the farm in the spring sunshine, giving participants the chance to observe different land management strategies up close and learn how FAI integrates rotational, pasture-based systems into a mixed working farm. This even included a live demo of drilling, as spring crops were being sown on the day we visited!  

Karl Williams of FAI Farms and Jimmy Woodrow from Pasture for Life co-hosted the visit, and we were also delighted to be joined by Lisa Warne, Director of the Campaign to Protect Rural England Oxfordshire, demonstrating strong interest in collaboration from key local and national practitioner organisations who are leading the way in impactful evidence-building in agriculture and nature restoration. Lunch was shared back outside the main barn on the farmyard picnic tables, and the afternoon was given over to a structured group discussion. 

Participants included researchers from current and upcoming Agile sprints, as well as colleagues working on agricultural and environmental issues across the university. The discussion reflected on insights from the farm walk and considered how academic research can better engage with the complexity of lived practice. Key themes emerging from the discussion included: 

• the challenge of identifying and supporting best practice in sustainable and regenerative farming approaches  

• how to build research that values both quantitative and experiential forms of knowledge, and  

• how to improve communication between researchers, farmers [practitioners?], and policymakers. 

The field trip aimed to create space for cross-disciplinary conversation and strengthen connections between academic researchers and practitioners. It also provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on how collaborative, practice-engaged research can contribute to land use change and sustainable food futures. 

This visit to FAI Farms was one of several events this year in the Agile Initiative’s CB&T Programme, which supports Agile researchers in developing the skills, networks, and relationships needed to generate high impact, participatory, applied research. We look forward to building on this day’s conversations in the months to come!