Farms cover around 70% of the UK’s total land area, playing a vital role in not just food production but in shaping the rural economy.
In England, the average farm business income (FBI) per annum sits at approximately £96,100 per farm. However, with rising costs, unpredictable weather, and shifting customer demands, farmers continue to create more stable, year-round revenue streams.
That’s what farm diversification is all about. By branching out into alternative uses of your land, buildings, and skills, you can supplement your core income and build a more resilient business model.
From converting barns into self storage units to offering unique countryside experiences, diversification creates new opportunities that go beyond traditional farming.
In this article, we’ll explore 11 practical and profitable diversified activities to help you make the most of your farm’s earning potential.
What Is Farm Diversification and Why Is It a Good Idea?
Farm diversification is the process of branching out from your core agricultural activities to create alternative income streams.
Rather than relying solely on traditional farming activities, such as growing crops or animal husbandry, diversified farms tap into new opportunities to make better use of their land, buildings, skills, and local demand.
This approach can take many forms. Some farmers turn parts of their land into tourist attractions or camping sites, while others launch side businesses like food processing, renewable energy projects, or storage services.
The common thread is the goal of boosting financial stability by spreading risk across multiple revenue sources.
🤔 Why are more farmers choosing to diversify?
First, it’s about resilience. Agriculture is increasingly vulnerable to factors beyond your control.
These include volatile commodity prices, extreme weather events, and shifting government subsidies, which can all put pressure on your bottom line.
Diversifying helps cushion the blow. When one part of your farm business struggles, other revenue streams can help balance things out.
Farm diversification is also a smart way to unlock the hidden value in your assets. For example, you might have an unused barn that could be converted into workshops, event spaces, or self storage units.
Perhaps you have land that isn’t ideal for farming but would work well for solar panels or parking spaces. In many cases, these underutilised areas can become steady income generators with relatively low upfront investment.
11 Farm Diversification Ideas to Consider
Now that you know more about what farm diversification involves, let’s unpack how you can turn your farm resources into profitable revenue streams:
1. Turn unused buildings or land into a self storage facility
Self storage facilities offer people and businesses secure places to store belongings, equipment, or inventory.
If you have barns or outbuildings that you’re not using, you can convert them into storage units or place weatherproof storage containers on your land.
Self storage is a low-maintenance, high-demand service. The average occupancy rate in the self storage industry is over 96%, highlighting a strong and consistent demand.
People are constantly looking for secure places to store items, especially if they’re moving house, downsizing or running a small business.
Once your facility is set up, it typically generates reliable monthly income with little hands-on involvement.
You could divide a large, unused barn into individual locked storage bays and rent them out monthly. With the addition of lighting, security cameras, and access controls, you can create a profitable storage site that runs with minimal staffing and upkeep.
Use our self storage investment calculator to work out your profit per year and annual return for launching a facility.
2. Set up a rustic camping experience
Over 42% of people in the UK go camping at least once a year. Rustic or wild camping involves offering minimal, back-to-nature camping facilities.
This usually includes grassy fields, basic toilets, and fire pits. It’s all about giving people an off-grid, immersive rural experience.
Camping is a low-barrier way to enter the tourism industry. Compared to glamping or holiday cottages, it typically requires minimal infrastructure, yet it appeals to a growing number of holidaymakers seeking nature, simplicity and peace.
You might designate a quiet field for tents, install a composting toilet and water access and provide picnic tables and firewood bundles at each pitch. This can create a seasonal business that brings in extra income during spring and summer.
3. Offer pet boarding while owners travel
Pet boarding means caring for pets while their owners are away. With their existing animal care knowledge and infrastructure, many farmers are well-positioned to offer this service.
Demand for trustworthy pet boarding is high, with 51% of UK adults now owning at least one pet, and many having two or more. One research report even found that the need for short-term boarding facilities is expected to grow significantly in the next decade.
Pet owners are often drawn to countryside locations where their animals can enjoy fresh air and ample space. It’s also a business that you can operate year-round, generating strong repeat customers.
You could convert an unused shed into a series of secure dog kennels with individual sleeping areas, run space, and climate control.
With a fenced outdoor exercise area and optional extras like grooming or one-on-one playtime, you can offer a premium service without a big upfront investment, although you may need to pay for staff to care for and feed the animals.
4. Host unique farm events and gatherings
Your farm can double as a venue for everything from weddings, corporate events, birthday parties, seasonal fairs and outdoor workshops.
Although places of worship are still a favored choice for wedding venues, the most common types of venues in the UK are in the countryside or at manor houses.
These events take advantage of your farm’s open space, scenery, and atmosphere. Additionally, events are typically high-margin activities and can bring in a lot of money in a short amount of time.
They also give you opportunities to cross-sell offerings like farm products, catering, or accommodation.
You might host a series of autumn harvest festivals with hayrides, local food stalls, and pumpkin picking. Alternatively, you could set up a rustic wedding venue with a marquee, farm-style decor, and optional accommodation in bell tents or cabins.
5. Deliver fresh vegetable boxes to your community
If your farm produces fresh produce, a vegetable box subscription business is a great diversification idea. Over 90% of consumers have embraced the subscription model, with 68% having multiple subscriptions.
It involves packing and delivering fresh, seasonal produce directly to local customers. These boxes can include fruit, vegetables, herbs and even eggs or homemade preserves.
This model allows you to sell your produce at retail prices instead of wholesale, increasing your profit margins. It also builds direct customer relationships, creating a loyal base that supports your farm year-round.
You could offer weekly subscriptions for a mixed box of seasonal vegetables and rotating crops based on availability. Include recipe cards to help customers use unfamiliar products, and allow optional add-ons like local cheese or honey sourced from nearby farms.
Subbly is an excellent tool for running a subscription veg box for your local community. It's purpose-built to manage all the key components of a subscription-based operation without you needing technical skills.
6. Rent out space as countryside offices
Over 40% of UK workers engage in remote work at least part of the week, meaning there’s a growing demand for small, peaceful, rural workspaces. You can convert outbuildings into private offices, co-working spaces, or creative studios.
Remote workers value quiet and space, two things your farm likely already has. Renting out workspaces can generate steady monthly income, particularly if you offer amenities like fast internet and parking.
For example, an old grain store could become a co-working barn with desks, Wi-Fi, a kitchenette, and a shared meeting room.
You could offer flexible daily, weekly or monthly packages to freelancers or small business owners looking for a great setting.
7. Create a dog training and play area
Dog owners are often looking for safe, enclosed spaces where their pets can exercise. Many are also interested in obedience training, socialisation classes, and agility courses.
Most secure dog fields in the UK can expect to earn between £25,000 and £35,000 a year, depending on your location, operating hours, and services offered.
This service caters to a passionate, high-spending niche. With relatively low investment, you can offer a mix of pay-per-session access and group training classes, using land that may not be suitable for crops or livestock.
You could fence off a half-acre field and add basic agility equipment like tunnels, jumps, and ramps. Then, you could offer hourly slots for exclusive use, host weekend training sessions, or lead puppy socialisation groups led by a certified trainer.
8. Attract visitors with wellness tourism
Wellness tourism is expanding at an annual rate of 6.5%. It’s all about offering health-focused retreats such as yoga weekends, meditation sessions, or digital detoxes. The idea is to provide a calming escape from modern life.
Wellness retreats can command high prices and appeal to a broad audience. Your farm’s natural surroundings are a huge asset for this type of experience.
You could hold guided yoga and mindfulness retreats hosted by a professional in a converted barn or tented pavilion, complete with healthy farm-to-table meals and sunrise walks around your land. Add massage therapy or journaling workshops to create a premium weekend package.
Of course, you must consider that having professionals provide these services to your guests means you’ll have extra overheads, but it’s still a worthwhile investment to explore.
9. Use fields for off-roading adventures
Off-roading experiences include 4x4 driving, quad biking, dirt biking, or even mountain biking trails. These adrenaline-filled activities appeal to adventure seekers and make use of rugged terrain that might not be ideal for farming.
It’s a high-impact way to monetise underutilised land. With the proper safety measures and planning permission, you can offer guided experiences, equipment hire and group bookings.
You could design a multi-terrain circuit through a hilly or wooded area of your land. Offer quad bike rentals and tours, or allow customers to bring their own off-road vehicles for a fee. Add a small reception hut for gear storage and safety briefings.
10. Launch water sports for outdoor enthusiasts
In 2022, 13.2 million UK adults tried out at least one boating activity. If you have a lake or access to a river, you can offer water-based activities such as paddleboarding, kayaking, or open-water swimming events.
Water-based experiences attract visitors during warmer months and can be paired with other diversification activities like family-friendly weekend events. A mobile cafe or picnic area nearby can increase dwell time and boost additional sales.
11. Open an on-site farm shop for local shoppers
Running a farm shop is a great way to diversify your income and connect directly with your local community. Instead of selling your produce through wholesalers or farmers’ markets, you can offer it straight from your farm.
More people want to know the story behind where their food is being produced and what goes into it. They often want to make sure they’re only eating organic produce and are willing to pay a premium for this. In fact, research shows that people are willing to pay around 5% more for organic foods.
Selling directly to consumers increases your profit margins by cutting out the middleman. Farms engaging in farm diversification activities like this can also showcase the story behind their food, build customer loyalty, and adapt their offering quickly based on demand.
A well-run farm shop can become a go-to destination for fresh, local, and seasonal goods.
You could convert a section of an old barn into a small shop selling fresh-picked vegetables, free-range eggs, and jars of homemade preserves.
With a refrigerator for dairy items and a contactless payment setup, your shop could operate with minimal staffing.
Start Your Own Farm Self Storage Business with Stora
Farm diversification isn’t just about surviving tough seasons. It’s about creating new, resilient income streams that make your farm more financially stable and future-proof.
If you have spare buildings, underused land, or a passion for connecting with your local community, there are endless ways to make your farm work harder for you.
The key is choosing farm diversification ideas that align with your resources, skills and long-term goals.
If you’re considering converting unused buildings or land into a self storage facility, Stora can help you turn that idea into a reliable source of passive income.
Our self storage software is built to make launching and managing a facility simple, even if you’ve never run a business like this before.
With automated bookings and payments, real-time availability, and pricing tools, you can run a profitable self storage business without technical skills or full-time staff to make it work.
Book a Stora demo today to see how our software can help you start your self storage business on your farm.
