Pilot seeks to shape new entrant help for Defra scheme
© Tim Scrivener Four organisations are to deliver a pilot service next year to help new farming entrants in England through the early stages of developing their business.
Defra wants to create business models that will be successful and resilient, and it says these may not look like those of the past.
It is also calling for landowners seeking to work with new entrants to register with the pilots, as well as people willing to offer themselves as a potential mentor or demonstrator of innovative business models.
See also: Getting into dairy farming – options for new entrants
In the first initiative Defra has launched under its New Entrant Support Scheme, Harper Adams University, the Landworkers’ Alliance, Shared Assets and the School for Social Entrepreneurs will deliver support for new businesses through the early stages of development, which Defra refers to as “incubation”.
However, this is only for a short period – participants will be recruited in December and the pilot will run until spring 2023.
See also: Free training on offer for would be new entrants to farming
Support for pitching
Applicants who are successful in securing one of 200 places on the scheme will be supported to pitch for land and finance, says Defra.
The pilots are open to those either with some farming experience, but not their own land-based business, or individuals with four to 10 years’ experience running a land-based farming business.
They will cover not only arable and livestock businesses, but also horticulture and agro-forestry. Environmental service businesses – for instance, providing livestock for arable farms as part of an agroecology system, also qualify.
The activities associated with this initiative, which are free to participants, will take place in the evenings and on weekends.
Each provider has its own set of application deadlines and plans for delivering the programme, which can be found on the gov.uk website.
The findings from the pilot will help to inform Defra’s development of its full New Entrant Support Scheme next year.