Young people across Britain are seeking opportunities to become well-trained, knowledgeable farmers and growers of organic food.

The Soil Association’s Future Growers programme – which matches host farms with eager young growers – has been running across the UK for the last seven years. With interest from over 700 young people, demand for places has never been higher. The Soil Association is seeking new host farms to employ these aspiring young farmers as part of its mission to change the future of farming.

Currently, practical training in organic crop production and horticulture is very limited. Ben Raskin, head of horticulture at the Soil Association said; “We have a wealth of horticultural knowledge in this country and we are in danger of losing it unless it is passed down from one generation to the next. The Future Growers scheme enables new growers to work alongside highly skilled experts and learn the craft of growing, as well as what it takes to make a business succeed.”

The Soil Association’s two year apprenticeship is widely recognised as the gold standard in organic horticulture. Farm-based work is combined with a series of structured seminars and visits to build upon the practical knowledge gained out in the field. A shorter six month traineeship is now also available.

The Soil Association and its partner farms have trained more than 65 organic growers since the programme began. However, the number of people currently interested in becoming Future Growers is outnumbering the available farms.

Both the traineeship and the apprenticeship involve: Participants being employed as organic growers.

Regular mentoring.

A programme of farm-based seminars run by organic experts.

Farm walks and visits to learn from a variety of approaches and techniques.

Soil Association producer membership.

The Future Growers scheme is starting to see its apprentices go on to flourish at existing organic farms and setting up their own enterprises including managing their own farms and training centres, heading up organic growing communities and community supported agriculture (CSA) projects and even publishing a book (Alice Holden). Kate Edwards, a former apprentice at Swillington Organics in 2009 said; “The apprenticeship scheme has given me the skills, knowledge and a network of support to make a successful career in organic farming at an exciting time for the industry.”

Host farms joining the scheme must be willing to provide a rich learning environment with dedicated mentoring time. Nathan Richards at Troed Y Rhiw Farm outlines the benefits; “Having Soil Association Future Grower apprentices here has not only allowed our business to grow but has the benefit of allowing the wider organic grower movement develop and blossom. Hosting and training enthusiastic and fired up young people, and giving them tangible skills that they can take forwards with them into a world that needs sustainable food production, has been the greatest joy.”

To find out more about the scheme, visit www.soilassociation.org/futuregrowers or email futuregrowers@soilassociation.org