SOUTH Yorkshire's farmers have been at the heart of a green revolution which has helped improve the environment and protect native wildlife.
Farmers have been involved in nearly 300 so-called agri-environment schemes which means they are paid to preserve the natural habitat - vital to much of Britain's wildlife.
The government has just announced it is to spend another £3 billion over t
he next five years on similar schemes across the UK, which will also help increase public access to the countryside.
Secretary of State for the Environment Hilary Benn said: "Over the last 21 years, farmers in South Yorkshire have been managing the land to enhance the beauty of the English landscape and conserve and protect our much-loved native wildlife.
"The English countryside doesn't look the way it does by accident, and all of us benefit from the footpaths, bridleways, orchard planting and hedgerow restoring which farmers carry out."
Agri-environment schemes work by providing government-funded financial support to farmers to manage and conserve the land with a focus on 'green farming'.
RSPB chief executive Graham Wynne said: "Using agri-environment schemes, farmers have brought breeds like cirl buntings and corncrakes back from the brink of extinction in the UK.
"We need to make sure farming produces not only food but a whole host of other things that society needs, such as wildlife, a stable climate, clean water and inspiring landscapes."
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