Grant or payment · England
Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 (SFI26)
Three-year agreement paying you for farming actions that help the environment, such as soil cover, hedgerows and nature-friendly margins.
- From
- Defra / RPA
- How much
- Rates per action (see SFI26 actions list). Agreements were capped at £100,000 per year and some rates were reduced in Window 2.
- Who can apply
- Farmers and land managers in England registered on the Rural Payments service. Window 1 was only for small farms and farms without an existing ELM revenue agreement; Window 2 was open to all.
- Closes
- 22 September 2026
What you’ll need
- Rural Payments service login (CRN) and SBI
- Up-to-date land parcels and maps
- Management control of the land for 3 years
How to apply
- Closed for new applications
- Existing agreement holders follow the SFI26 agreement holder guidance
Window 1 closed 11:59pm 28 August 2026. Window 2 opened 22 September 2026 and closed the same day because the budget was used up (page updated 22-23 September 2026). £310m allocated across both windows. Applications started but not submitted cannot now be sent, except assisted-digital or technical-fault cases that contacted RPA before closing.
Similar schemes
- Hot and dry weather: temporary support for farmers in 2026 OpenDefra / RPALets you cut or graze agreement land, make firebreaks and delay sowing during drought without losing SFI, CS or HLS payments.
- Capital grants plans 2026 (PA1, PA2, PA4, PA5, PA7) Open all yearDefra / RPAPays for professional plans: implementation plan (PA1), feasibility study (PA2), agroforestry plan (PA4), moorland mapping (PA5) and species management plan (PA7).
- Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) Open all yearDefra / Natural England / Forestry Commission / RPALong-term agreement for complex habitat and nature work; at the moment you can only ask to join (express an interest) for four topics.
- Higher Tier Capital Grants 2026 Open all yearDefra / RPAThree-year capital grants for environmental works (including agroforestry and woodland condition assessment) without needing a full Higher Tier agreement.
- Protection and Infrastructure grants 2026 Open all yearDefra / RPAGrants for woodland access tracks and for protecting crops and trees from beavers.
- Sustainable Farming Incentive 2027 offer Coming soonDefra / RPAThe next SFI offer the government says it will run in 2027.
Checked against the official pages on 29 October 2026. Sources: 1, 2, 3. Always read the official page before you apply.