Future Rural
A collection of essays reimagining how land, food, nature and community could evolve over the next century.
What is the future of the countryside? In a time of rapid environmental, economic, and social change, what does the countryside mean to us, and what could it become?
Future Rural gathers together a powerful chorus of diverse voices—writers, farmers, activists, ecologists, and thinkers – and asks them to interrogate the past and present in order to imagine what lies ahead for Britain’s rural landscapes and communities. From the creativity of the countryside and the impact of Empire on rural England, to the urgent need for affordable housing, equitable land access and the growing threats of climate change and habitat loss, this new collection confronts the complex realities facing our countryside. But it does so with hope, offering stories of resilience, regeneration and new ideas for how we live with the land.
With essays and poetry from leading and emerging writers on the land, social history and ecology, Future Rural searches for a fairer, more sustainable and thriving rural England. It is a call to action and a celebration of the centenary of the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
With a foreword by Michael Morpurgo.
Published 28 April 2026.
The authors
Learn more about Future Rural, from the writers, authors and poets themselves.
