A-Zero

A-Zero

A farmer’s guide to breaking free from environmental jargon

“Everyone needs to play their part in helping to protect the planet and tackle climate change but to do so we need to share the same goals and speak the same language.

“That’s why I am delighted that this guide helps to translate terminology and unjumble jargon so farmers, and all of us, can play our part.”

HM King Charles III while he was The Prince of Wales

Speaking at the Farmers Weekly awards at the start of 2021, our Patron, HM King Charles III set a challenge – to explain terms and practices linked to the environment in straightforward language. That’s why we created A-Zero: A farmer’s guide to breaking free from environmental jargon. This booklet, aimed at farmers, hopes to ensure that the ambitions around improving the management of the UK’s environment are accessible to all.

Our survey of farmers found that:

%
want to do more to tackle the climate challenge.
%
think there is too much jargon used in conversations around the environment.
%
say they have little or no understanding of the term 'natural capital'.

McDonald’s and The Royal Countryside Fund are working together as part of a three-year partnership to support the future of the farming industry. This includes the ‘Ready for Change’ workshops, a series of events to help support the economic resilience of farming families. The workshops support livestock farmers in making informed decisions about change management on family farms, as well as helping on environment-related challenges. The charity’s research also found that 72% of farmers do not currently measure their environmental impact on their farm, making these workshops more relevant than ever.

Find out more about our work with McDonald's