In the UK, farmland is predominantly used for food production. But as the building industry’s interest in the benefits and applications of lower energy and less harmful materials like hemp, straw, flax and earth grows, competition with and tension between using land for food and for material production is going to increase. This panel will make the case for why we need to look at farmland as a space in which we produce more than just food, and look at the role that a more bioregional, regenerative approach to the production of materials and buildings could have in improving rural economies, communities and environments in the UK. The panel will be chaired by Assemble, an interdisciplinary practice working across the built environment to create, design and maintain better environments.