Farmers and food producers can benefit from a series of specialist courses being rolled out in 2009 by the Farexchange Partnership, a new initiative for developing sustainable and secure food supply chains.

Farexchange is laying on training programmes designed to help key staff run their businesses more effectively.

Funding for the Farexchange project is being made available through the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which is jointly funded by DEFRA and the EU, and is managed by Yorkshire Forward in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Farexchange's courses are open to Yorkshire's food manufacturers, farmers and growers. For RDPE/DEFRA eligible farmers the cost will be subsidised by 70 per cent, and it starts in February with three-day courses in Food Chain Excellence.

This programme is being run in conjunction with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and will feature guest speakers to help agri-food businesses develop a better understanding of the future of the sector and the next steps in food innovation.

In addition, Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship courses will be available to develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills of people who can then generate the innovation needed to shape and fashion the industry.

Farexchange's operational manager, Paul Rhodes, is confident the training activities being organised can provide the key to unlocking the skills potential in the food industry, as well as transferring the knowledge of how collaboration within the food supply chain can benefit everyone.

"These courses are a central plank in our goal of ensuring an exciting new era of co-operation between food companies and the agriculture sector. By teaching new skills and developing innovative thinking, the project can help companies in the supply chain stay ahead of the game," he said.