My Nuffield Farming Journey begins

‘We travel because we need to; because distance and difference are the secret tonics to creativity. When we get home, home is still home but something in our minds has changed, and that changes everything.’

When I first applied for a Nuffield Farming Scholarship there were three things I was certain of, a desire to open my mind to new experiences and learnings; to build a powerful network and long-lasting friendships with people from all over the world and to embrace the opportunities which come with spending time in different countries and immersing in new cultures and ways of thinking.

Over the coming months, I hope to travel all over the world, building my knowledge of different farming practices and exploring my topic, ‘Turning the tide on the anti-farming agenda,’ with my travels taking me to Africa, Europe, South America, New Zealand, Australia and North America.

My aim is to better understand how the farming narrative is playing out across the world. Are relationships between farmers and different stakeholders breaking down or strengthening? What can we learn from these examples and how can we ultimately shape a more positive farming narrative here in the UK.

I firmly believe that farming has a great story to tell but we aren’t always very good at telling it.

Why is this important? Because farming is coming under greater scrutiny than ever before for its role in contributing to the climate and nature crises and there is a lot of work to be done in showcasing why farming is so perfectly placed to offer solutions to these challenges.  

I would like to encourage farmers to communicate better and arm them with the tools to step outside the farming echo chamber – which is where it counts – and to take personal responsibility for the industry’s communications. There is too much division right now across many sectors and I hope that this piece of work will extend past any divides and unite farmers under a common cause.

In the coming months, I plan to share my experiences and learnings from abroad and to instigate a movement, a conversation, which will build a better and stronger communications plan for farming moving forward.
 
I am absolutely delighted to be generously supported by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society for Scotland (RHASS) and cannot thank the team enough for supporting me on this wonderful journey.

I am also so grateful to AgriScot, the Scottish Dairy Cattle Association, the Roy Watherston Memorial Trust, Jane Craigie Marketing and the Former Ayr Areas Fund for very kindly supporting my research.

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