Wise women and men have often said that you have to go back to go forward. And a novel project launched by Exeter University in England’s southwest is certainly following that dictum.

The innovative research programme will examine historic farming and land-use practices in an effort to better shape policy for contemporary agriculture.

Historians will examine 600 years of archival records from 40 manorial holdings across southern England in an effort to build a picture of land use and farm practices from the 1250s to the 1850s.

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“This is an independent look at how our ancestors managed the land for food, for environment and biodiversity, and cultural benefits,” explained professor Alex Inman, project lead in Exeter’s Business School.

“And from that, we will ask the question of whether there is anything we can learn that applies to the current debate around land management,” he added.

Now, that’s what you might call going back to the future.