Figure 1. The Elan Valley landscape is a kaleidoscope of intertwined histories, from local farming to national industrial projects (Elan Valley, 2024).
By Callum Hill
A changing landscape: the Elan Valley
Deep in the heart of Wales lies the Elan Valley (figure 1). A seventy-two square mile landscape of dams, reservoirs, farmland, homes, and tourist infrastructure. Until the late 19th century, the Elan Valley was a remote pastoral landscape (figure 2). In 1893 the wave of change brought by the industrial revolution reached this small rural community. Dams and reservoirs were built to supply water to Birmingham in a hugely ambitious and successful industrial project (figure 4). However, the construction resulted in the destruction of forty-four properties, including eighteen farms, a school, and a church (figures 3) (Holt, 2013). Today, the Valley continues to supply water to Birmingham, but its rich cultural history lies in the local farming community who have managed the landscape for generations. This farming community, and many like it, are now under threat from top-down policy decisions attempting to make farming more sustainable but doing so with a limited appreciation of alternative approaches to sustainability. The following blog explores this conundrum, arguing for the application of a heritage approach within the Elan Valley to understand alternative approaches to agricultural sustainability and address the dissonance between practice and policy.
About this blog
This is the 13th blog post of the series of 24 blogs prepared by graduate students and early career professionals who shared their views on the future of heritage and landscape planning.
The writers of these blogposts participated in the Heriland Blended Intensive Programme “Heritage and the Planning of Landscapes” in October 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sustainability, policy, and livelihoods
James Rebanks (2021, p.16) acknowledges farming has become imbued with a shadow of shame. The industrialisation of farming has proved to be ecologically disastrous and has associated farmers with the corporate cabal of polluters, such as oil companies and airlines. Monocrop culture, the widespread use of chemicals, and intensive animal husbandry is increasingly acknowledged as a central contributor to climate change. Across the world agricultural production of food causes around 30% of greenhouse gas emissions (IWA, 2023). In Wales, unsustainable agricultural practices are the main reason for loss of biodiversity (IWA, 2023). In Wales, the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) has been recently proposed to control polluting practices. Under the scheme, farmers would be required to commit 10% of their land to wildlife habitation and a further 10% to planted trees. The announcement of the scheme was met with significant backlash and protests (figure 5). Opponents to the scheme argue that the removal of 20% of land away from agricultural production would make farming unviable for smaller-scale farms. In the attempt to promote sustainability, the SFS threatens the historical backbone of Welsh farming. To address this gap between policy and practice I believe a heritage approach could be integral to promoting sustainable practice and protecting Welsh agricultural heritage.
The Elan Valley case study
The recent history of industrial development within the Elan Valley alongside the continuation of farming practices make it an intriguing case study to examine the potential benefits of a heritage approach. Mitchell and Barret (2015, p.702) argue the lack of recognition of traditional knowledge has ‘limited the consideration of heritage values in advancing sustainable agricultural practice.’ In response, I suggest that Mire’s (2011) conception of the knowledge-centred approach, which recognises the specialised traditional knowledge held by local people, should be a foundation of the heritage approach. Small-scale Welsh farming in the Elan Valley is defined by family traditions and knowledge. Families often farm the same land for multiple generations, making their knowledge of the area vital in applying sustainable techniques (figure 6).
A three-pronged heritage approach
A healthy farm culture can be based solely upon familiarity and can grow only among a people soundly established upon the land: it nourishes and safeguards a human intelligence of the earth that no amount of technology can satisfactorily replace – Wendell, 1997, cited in Rebanks 2021, p.7
I propose a three-pronged heritage approach utilising ethnographic study, cultural mapping, and Historical Landscape Characterisation (HLC). This methodological approach is one which prioritises people and celebrates traditional knowledge. ‘Top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ are terms commonly employed to judge the inclusiveness of heritage practice. My proposed approach attempts to bridge the divide by using heritage to construct an archive and database which can and should, advise and influence policy decisions made at a national level. Therefore, the combination of methods ensures practice is driven from below to assist implementation from the top.
The approach should employ ethnographic study as its cornerstone as it is a key method to draw out local knowledge and understand the landscape through those who manage it, as emphasised by Wendell above. A strength of the Elan Valley case study is that the foundations have been formed for collaborative approaches between researchers and the farming community. The Elan Valley Trust Strategic Plan (2019-2023) enshrines proactive collaboration between the Trust, who manage the Elan Valley Estate, and local farmers. The success of the current Elan Links project and the 2015 Elenydd Purple Moorgrass Nature Fund project demonstrate that the farming community are willing to participate in projects with researchers, highlighting that key foundations have already been laid for an ethnographic approach.
Paired with ethnographic study, cultural mapping could elevate subaltern voices, archiving their values and heritage. The Elan Valley is predominantly celebrated for the dams and reservoirs. However, it is my hypothesis that for the local community traditions, such as sheep shearing or gathering, would be just as culturally important as the dams and represent an insight into sustainable land management (figure 7). HLC could then be determined vis-à-vis local values and understandings of heritage, be that tangible or intangible. The importance of HLC is that it operates as an important resource for practitioners and policy makers alike, and the inclusion of local voices within this archive could influence decisions made at higher levels of governance. It is important to emphasise that I do not believe the approach would dramatically or immediately reshape policy. However, it is a pathway to explore alternative participatory approaches to build towards a sustainable future.
Conclusions
When we lose our way, it often pays to retrace the footsteps on our journey until we get back to familiar territory – James Rebanks, 2021, p.16.
Climate change continues to loom over both our present and our future. We need to rethink the way our industrialised global systems operate and protect those who are displaced and destroyed by the march of ‘’progress’’. The SFS demonstrates a dissonance between practice and policy within Wales, a dissonance I feel is reflective of wider global patterns. I believe a heritage-centred approach could be a vital tool for addressing the gaps between current practice and a sustainable future. Harnessing localised knowledge within a landscape which has already experienced industrialisation and retained sustainable agricultural practice could present a pathway to explore alternative approaches to development and policy. Furthermore, in charting and empowering local communities as stewards of our national landscapes we can simultaneously protect the rich agricultural heritage of Wales and the United Kingdom.
Bibliography
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Elan Valley (2024) ‘Farming’ Available at: https://elanvalley.org.uk/heritage/farming/ [Accessed: 16 Oct 2024].
Elan Valley (2024) ‘The Elan Valley Lakes’ Available at: https://elan-valley.co.uk/
[Accessed 15 Oct 2024].
Holt, G.D., (2013). ‘Historical perspectives of engineering project design, organisation and management: construction of the Elan Valley dams’ in Engineering Project Organization Journal, 3:4, pp.213-226.
IWA. (2023) ‘Food Systems Change: Wales’ Fork in the Road’ Available at: https://www.iwa.wales/agenda/2023/11/food-system-wales/. [Accessed: 24 Oct 2024].
James, D. (2024) ‘Death of Welsh farming’ – 3,000 join Carmarthen protest’ Available at: https://www.walesfarmer.co.uk/news/24113151.death-welsh-farming—3-000-join-carmarthen-protest/ [Accessed: 26 March 2024].
Mire, S., (2011). ‘The Knowledge-Centred Approach to the Somali Cultural Emergency and Heritage Development Assistance in Somaliland’ in The African Archaeological Review, 28:1, pp. 71-91.
Mitchell, N.J. and Barrett, B., (2015). ‘Heritage Values and Agricultural Landscapes: Towards a New Synthesis’ in Landscape Research, 40:6, pp. 701-716, DOI: 10.1080/01426397.2015.1058346.
National Library of Wales, (2024). ‘Tithe Maps of Wales’ Available at: https://places.library.wales/browse/52.266/-3.579/13.9?locationName=Rhaeadr+Gwy+%2F+Rhayader%2C+Powys [Accessed: 16 Oct 2024)
Rebanks, J. (2020) English Pastoral (London: Penguin Books).
The Elan Valley Trust Strategic Plan 2019-2030. (2019). Available at: https://elanvalley.org.uk/app/uploads/2022/11/EVT-Strategic-Plan-Feb-19-English.pdf [Accessed 30 Dec 2024].
Welsh Government (2024) Guidance: Sustainable Farming Scheme. Available at: https://www.gov.wales/sustainable-farming-scheme-guide#100023 [Accessed 18 April 2024].
Wildshepherd, 2024. ‘Sustainable Shepherding’ Available at: https://wildshepherd.co.uk/sustainable-shepherding/ [Accessed: 16 Oct 2024].
About the author
Callum Hill is a UK-based heritage consultant at Pegasus Group. He has a background in community projects within heritage and archaeology and recently graduated from the Cultural Studies Ma programme at University College London. This Blog post is inspired by his participation in the Heriland Blended Intensive Programme on “Heritage and Landscapes Futures’’ in Gothenburg, Sweden, in October 2024.
To contact the author: callum_hillfort45@icloud.com