Farm491 announces shortlist for Farm491 ‘Mixed Land Use’ Challenge 2025

We are pleased to announce the shortlist for our second Farm491 Challenge – our competition series aimed to encourage and support companies fostering innovation in our natural world, generously supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. 

The following businesses will participate in the final judging for this year’s ‘Mixed Land Use’ themed Challenge on 12 December 2025. The winner will receive an incredible £40,000 and the runner-up £20,000 to advance their businesses, plus 12-months mentoring and support from Farm491.

Carbon Quester
Carbon Quester provides high-resolution soil carbon baselines across farms and landscapes focusing on field sampling and incorporating remote sensing and spatial modelling. They help farmers, estates, and developers understand the current carbon stocks across different land uses and soil types and the potential for carbon gain or loss under different land management or land-use stacking scenarios.

Dysgu Henbant CIC
Henbant, a thriving regenerative farm in North Wales, provides ‘Becoming a Regenerative Farmer’ training which is designed to create the next generation of ecological farmers committed to enjoying growing good, nutrient-dense food while restoring ecosystems, sequestering carbon, and boosting biodiversity.

Harvestory
Harvestory reimagines food and plant production as something that can happen beyond traditional farmland, while adding a new value dimension in the social context. Their range of hydroponic systems transform underused urban spaces; offices, schools, hospitality venues, and community buildings, into active growing sites for herbs, botanicals and leafy greens.

Lochhill Agroecological Farm CIC
Lochhill is a 75-acre farm in Dumfries and Galloway, South West Scotland. The farm aims to maximise ecological diversity, be a place for resilient and sustainable livelihoods, and be a place for learning and education. They want to be a living working example of diverse and mixed enterprises, combined with a centre of excellence for training and skills development.

Take Root Natural Synergies
Across the UK, thousands of agricultural and industrial buildings lie idle while demand for local food, renewable heat and biodiversity rises. Take Root Synergies (TRS), developed by Take Root Bio and Natural Synergies, turns these assets into productive circular ecosystems that grow food, recycle nutrients and capture carbon. The system installs rapidly inside existing structures, allowing productive interim use during redevelopment and providing communities with local food and jobs.

Wild Woodland Celebrations
Wild Woodland Celebrations are restoring 5-acres of neglected woodland through active management, including coppicing among standards and the removal of non-native Larch, returning it to a resilient, native ecosystem. This enhances biodiversity, supports long-term carbon storage, and revives traditional woodland practices.

A strong shortlist, we are delighted to welcome the following individuals to Farm491 HQ, as part of our judging panel, to make the final decision on 12 December 2025:

We look forward to sharing the final results soon. In the meantime, to learn more about this year’s Challenge, visit our Farm491 Challenge webpage here.

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