To set the scene for this water-focused edition, the UKFV team spoke with Kelly Hewson Fisher, Director and Head of Rural Research at Savills, about the growing importance of water to the UK food system and the role land management must play in building long term resilience.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

With a background spanning farming, agricultural consultancy, catchment management, water policy, and rural research, Kelly brings a system wide perspective to the debate around water management. She highlights the need to place water firmly at the centre of food security, environmental outcomes, and future economic growth.

Kelly’s perspective on water is grounded in practical experience. She grew up on her family’s dairy farm, spending time in Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders before returning to North Lincolnshire. These early experiences shaped her understanding of how closely land, weather, and water are intertwined in farming decision‑making.

Her career has since taken her through agricultural business consultancy at ADAS, catchment management roles at Anglian Water, national water resources work at the NFU and, most recently, into rural research at Savills. Across each role, one consistent insight has emerged: water connects food production, land use and environmental stewardship, and cannot be managed effectively in isolation.

At Savills, Kelly now leads a UK‑wide rural research team covering food and farming, natural capital, forestry, land use and development. Water is therefore at the forefront of her team’s work.

Much of the current water debate focuses on how to manage either too much water or too little. As Kelly explained, this reflects the reality of a changing climate, with wetter winters, drier summers and greater variability becoming increasingly common.

Farmers are already experiencing these pressures. Flooding events can damage soils and water quality, whilst prolonged dry periods affect crop establishment, yields and irrigation reliability. Importantly, these challenges are not separate: flooding, drought, water quality and water availability are interconnected parts of the same system.

Kelly emphasised that water has historically been managed in silos, but that this approach is no longer fit for purpose. A more holistic view that considers how excess water can be captured and stored, how landscapes can slow and filter runoff, and how land management choices affect downstream risk is needed.

One of Kelly’s key points is that water is fundamental to food security. The UK agri‑food sector remains central to economic growth in many regions, including Greater Lincolnshire. Ambitions to improve productivity, resilience and self‑sufficiency all rely on reliable access to water.

Forward‑looking water resource planning already shows that, when population growth, climate change and environmental requirements are considered, future water scarcity becomes a real constraint. This affects not only primary production but food processing, manufacturing and supply chains more broadly.

Kelly argued that water must therefore be treated not just as an environmental issue, but as a strategic input to the food system - one that needs to be actively planned for and managed.

A recurring theme from Kelly’s work is the value of collaboration. Water challenges cut across sectors and organisational boundaries, involving farmers, landowners, water companies, developers, regulators and policymakers alike.

Where these groups work together, it becomes possible to design solutions that deliver multiple benefits. Approaches such as improved soil management, on‑farm storage, nature‑based flood management and smarter land‑use planning can support water quantity, quality, flood resilience, and food production at the same time.

Kelly noted that policymakers are generally aware of the challenges, but are often looking for clear, practical solutions that industry can collectively support and deliver.

The conversation also touched on the role of regulation and policy. Kelly suggested that rather than wholesale change, what is needed is careful review to ensure existing systems are fit for future conditions.

Some regulatory frameworks were designed for a more stable climate and struggle to respond to increased variability. Systems such as abstraction licensing may need to evolve, supported by better data, monitoring and technology, to balance access to water with environmental protection and long‑term resilience.

Crucially, Kelly highlighted the need for policy to explicitly recognise that water security underpins food security, providing a clearer basis for long‑term planning and investment.

Looking ahead, Kelly described a future where water management is genuinely integrated, bringing together flooding, water quality and water resources across national, regional and catchment scales.

In this vision, farmers are recognised and supported as key partners in water stewardship, playing an active role in storing water, improving quality and reducing flood risk, whilst continuing to produce food.

Achieving this will require collaboration, systems that are fit for purpose, and policy frameworks that reflect the central role water plays in food security and economic resilience.

Water sits at the intersection of infrastructure, environmental outcomes, public value and long‑term financial risk. Decisions made now will shape resilience, affordability and delivery confidence for decades to come. Treating water as a strategic asset, and managing it accordingly, is essential to supporting a secure, sustainable food system for the future.

Kelly was interviewed by Jess Foster for the UK Food Valley, managed and funded by Lincolnshire County Council.