Tesco and Harper Adams University’s School of Sustainable Food and Farming (SSFF) have today announced the launch of a major new multi-year programme which will help up-and-coming British farmers develop their skills in sustainable agriculture.
With recent surveys* suggesting younger farmers have identified skills gaps in areas including sustainability and the environment, the Future Farmer Programme will provide 75 young farmers with face-to-face and live online training on how to implement sustainable agriculture practices and protect biodiversity.
The nine-month course, which will run each year for the next three years, will also include events and mentoring sessions on business operations and personal development.
Farmers under the age of 40 from across different agricultural sectors and at different stages of their development will be encouraged to apply for the programme ahead of its start date in October.
As part of the Partnership with SSFF, Tesco will also fund research projects aimed at addressing some of the key sustainability challenges affecting agriculture. The first research project will look to bring together different sectors of Tesco’s agricultural supply base to understand how land can be managed in a way that is environmentally and economically sustainable for all parties involved in an agricultural rotation.
