Attempts to tackle to the problem of an ageing industry may be showing signs of success with a reported rise in the uptake of agricultural courses.
The average age of a farmer remains 55, but several agricultural colleges have seen an increase in student numbers driven by widespread environmental debate.
Askham Bryan College in York has reported a 47 per cent rise in student numbers over the last three years and an 18 per cent rise in the last year while Hadlow College in Kent reports a year-on-year increase in all its further and higher education courses.
Hadlow College spokesperson Pat Crawford said the rise was due to an environmentally aware society which has engaged young people and encouraged mature students seeking a second career after working in the City.
She said: “We are facing big challenges with food security and climate change and are receiving applications from students who are patently aware of this.”
NFU horticulture board chairman Sarah Pettitt echoed the view. She said: “The green agenda has engaged a lot of people in horticulture. We have a lot of excellent colleges and supply and demand is key, uptake must be encouraged.
“The NFU is working with stakeholders to define a structure to recognise the in-house training that a lot of businesses do which is not recognised in other businesses to help define career paths.”
But there are fears from some quarters that the training may prove futile. UK farming is worth around £5.8 billion to the economy and employs around 250,000 people.
In the second half of last year, at the peak of the recession, unemployment in rural areas rose by 73 per cent to almost 250,000 people or five per cent of the working age population.
By comparison in urban areas the level of unemployment rose just 39 per cent over the same period to 1.7 million, as politicians struggled to minimise job losses in highly populated places.
