The Caroline Drummond Award - Celebrating and Communicating Farming Excellence.

Caroline’s husband Philip Ward says:

“I am immensely proud of Caroline’s achievements with LEAF. These include a pathway to sustainable farming, excellent communication both inside and outside the agricultural world and posing questions about the type of food we should be growing to meet the needs of our customers, 

“She did this with positivity, a willingness to work with other organisations and a desire to always do what she thought was right in order to work towards achieving her goals.

“Winners of this award, demonstrate many of these qualities, hopefully this year we will see more shining examples of people who can, in their own way, help to move farming in the right direction. I look forward to seeing this year’s entries and hope they cheer me up as much as they did last time as I read about so many people doing good things!”

2025 winner David Rose, says:

“Receiving the Caroline Drummond Award is a tremendous honour. Caroline inspired my farming journey, my commitment to LEAF principles, and my belief that farming can improve both environmental and human health. Her vision continues to shape my work through FarmEco and the Vitagri Food for Health project. To be recognised in her name is something I will treasure for the rest of my life.”

David won the award for his long-term commitment to improving the way farmers farm and communicating that to a wide audience. More than 2,000 people visit FarmEco Community Care Farm on his family’s Nottinghamshire farm every year. He has also helped establish Vitagri an evidence based platform to encourage the production of nutrient-dense food. 

Victoria Bywater, director of the Society of Agriculture, says:

“Caroline Drummond showed how powerful clear, trusted communication can be in helping agriculture move forward. This award recognises people who are not only improving farming practice and environmental outcomes, but also sharing that knowledge in a way that inspires others to act.

“At the Society of Agriculture, we believe professional leadership is about integrity, collaboration and positive influence. We are proud to support an award that celebrates individuals who are putting those values into practice across the industry.”

David Webster, LEAF CEO says:

“The Caroline Drummond Award celebrates those who are making a real difference through more sustainable farming and communicating its importance with authenticity and passion. We know there are many outstanding people whose work deserves wider recognition, and we would encourage nominations from across the industry.”

Caroline Stocks, chair of the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists

“This award is a fitting tribute to Caroline and her determination to show the wider world that good farming practice and looking after the environment go hand in hand. The twin challenges of feeding an increasing global population and climate change make that goal more important than ever before.”

The award winner will be invited to the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists Harvest Lunch on 8 October 2026 in London and the Society of Agriculture’s National Farm Management Conference on 5 November 2026, also in London.

Entry procedure

Entrants can enter themselves or be nominated by others. Evidence of the impact they have had will be required. That impact can be at a local, national or international level. The judging panel will consist of representatives of The British Guild of Agricultural Journalists, The Society of Agriculture, Linking Environment And Farming, Caroline’s widower Philip Ward and David Rose, the 2025 winner.

Entrants have until 31 August 2026 to submit their entries. This can be done via the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists website: https://www.gaj.org.uk/award/the-caroline-drummond-award-celebrating-and-communicating-farming-excellence-2/

For more information email award co-ordinator Cedric Porter: cedric@supplyintelligence.co.uk. or call him on 07881 956446. 

What we are looking for

• An individual who embodies Caroline Drummond’s passion for farming and the environment, who has improved the way they or others farm and protect the environment and communicated that passion to others.
• Entrants can be an individual representing their own farm or a leader of a business or institutional team.
• Entrants will need to demonstrate commitment to how they have improved the way they/others have farmed and what they have done to protect or enhance the environment.
• Entrants will need to demonstrate how they have communicated that commitment to a wider audience, whether that is farmers, the food and retail industry, policymakers, pupils/students, the wider public, media or others.
• The award is open to farmers, environmentalists, those involved in the agricultural supply chain, teachers/lecturers, scientists, policymakers, businesses or institutional leaders, members of NGOS, influencers, or any others meeting the criteria.
• Entrants do not need to have a high national or international profile, with judges looking for exceptional impact on the audience the entrant interacts with, especially those who have been previously unsung. 

You may enter yourself or be nominated by others. If you are entering yourself, you will need to be proposed by at least one other person. If you are nominated by someone else, then you will have to give them permission to do so. The judging panel may also approach individuals directly to ask them to consider entering. Organisations can ask those they feel deserving of the award to enter.