Rural Leadership - Workshop One

 Nelson Mandela famously once said

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world"

Back in June I was fortunate to be selected as one of the 11 individuals on the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) Rural leadership programme* cohort for 2023-24. I had no idea what I was really applying for at the time however, a few people had suggested I give it a go. I remember feeling like I was stuck at a cross roads and needing something new to experience, therefore I thought, why not, and went ahead with submitting an application. Our group of 11 individuals from Welsh rural and farming backgrounds were officially announced at this years Royal Welsh Show and we were all curious to find out more about what we would be experiencing over the three intensive workshops to come.

Last week, September 6th-8th, we embarked on our first workshop which was based in Cardiff. We had a jam packed itinerary booked and were all nervous, but also excited, to commence on this new adventure together.

Day one opened with the usual team icebreaker sessions discussing our what's and why's as individuals, and getting us to question our different ways of thinking and discussing our current visions for the agricultural industry within Wales. We were given a presentation by Cynnal Cymru (Sustain Wales) a non-profit enterprise and registered charity who's aim is to help organisations with sustainability advice in order to create a fairer and more secure future. This presentation and discussion with Clare Sain-Ley-Berry gave us as farmers and rural workers the opportunities to share our opinions and views about how our industry is currently being portrayed to the Welsh urban communities and where we felt improvements needed to be made. 

The afternoon session took us on a tour of the Welsh Parliament building in Cardiff Bay. A tour I had never experienced before and one which I was interested to hear more about. Politics has obviously always been something I have been aware of however, I have never personally felt academic enough to really understand the reasoning behind it all. 

We closed Wednesday evening by attending the opening ceremony and reception for the main event of the three day workshop. A warm up of what was to come on the Thursday. I was extremely nervous. It involved having to network, a task I never enjoy doing especially when I have no idea who else is going to be present. This fear was increased when we were informed we would have to network with attendees from several European countries, therefore who couldn't confidentially speak the same language as us and who's knowledge and expertise was on the topic of rural law and policy documentations (insert fear emoji face). I felt completely in and over my head at this point and was seriously questioning what on earth I had signed myself up to. This was way beyond my knowledge base and in complete honesty, I was absolutely bricking it! Nevertheless, I can confirm the canope food was lovely.

Day two. Attending the 'European Congress and Colloquium of Rural Law, CEDR'. Yes, I know what your thinking. It's probably what I was also thinking at the time.....I have no idea what that means or what it involves. But do you know what? I absolutely loved it!

In brief, the conference was a day filled with presentations from several different European countries who were there to explain and discuss their rural policies on a number of different topics which included energy crisis, flood prevention, carbon and biodiversity, disease control along with many many more. The presentations were split over three commissions which were in three different lecture theatres and we were able to pick and choose which topics and speakers we wished to listen to that interested us the most. Therefore we were free to move around throughout the day if we wished. I chose  commission two as this overall topic was where I felt I had some knowledge already and it was a topic which I have been dealing with quite heavily in my current employment role in Welsh agriculture, therefore I felt I would gain most benefit from attending this commission first. 

The topic was 'Carbon, Biodiversity, Nutrient: new land use considerations', therefore, in brief, how the different European countries were individually planning to deal with the environmental crisis and net zero aim we have been hearing so much about in recent years. I listened to the presentations from France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and England in total, and yes ended up staying in the same commission all day. I was learning so much and was fascinated to find out more about why each country was creating the policies which they were in order to tackle the climate crisis. Networking in this environment felt a lot easier for me and it has provided and inspired me with new bucket list places to visit in the future. I won't deny it, it was still extremely academic and I have only really understood about 40% of what was being said. It was an intense day, but also a very interesting day overall and I am grateful I was given the opportunity to attend this lifetime experience. I have come away from it realising the impact of policy decisions and the role we have as farmers to help influence the outcomes and decisions which are made.

Thursday evening we were lucky to join the conference attendees in visiting a local dairy farm I know well, Goldsland Farm run by Abi Reader and her family. I have been fortunate to visit Abi's farm a number of times through work, however it was interesting to see and hear the discussions the Europeans were having with her uncle about why they farm the way they do. The importance of the grassroots farmers knowledge and experiences to these individuals in policy making decisions proved very important. As farmers we have a voice also, and when an opportunity like this one arises, it was clear the importance of grabbing it in instead of fearing it in order to share their views. They couldn't guarantee they would be listened to however, from the number of sunset pictures that were taken on their phones, they probably won't forget the visit either.

Day three. The final day. It started with a visit to Cardiff Food Bank. Again the venue was what I expected. However! For me personally this was probably the most shocking visit of the whole workshop. The statistics were overwhelming. Cardiff food bank alone requires between 15,000 -16,000 tonnes of food (long shelf life) per month in order to feed 19,000 people in Cardiff of which 35% are children! They are currently only donated roughly 14,000 tonnes of food a month of which 70% comes from supermarkets. Wow! We talked with Sam, our food bank guide, for a long time and discussed a lot of different things both we as farmers and them as distrusters could do to help reduce the amount of people needing to access this service. Because at the end of the day that's their main goal, is to help less people and get them back on their feet rather than help more people who are struggling. We heard stories of people he had been helping which made it more personal and therefore more real and it was scary as well as heart-breaking to hear.

The afternoon provided us with an opportunity to de-brief and discuss everything we had heard and experienced over the three intensive days. We were questioned if we felt there was an area or topic we as a group of 11 individuals could take on board and aim to try and improve. There had been a common theme throughout each day and every presentation we had heard, a word that kept being dropped into each discussion we were having and one which we felt was of greatest importance. That word... education.

We talked about what we could do as a group to help educate others and were given the opportunity to answer similar questions we had been asked at the start of the workshop to see if our opinions and thought processes had changed. We proposed and discussed what aims we were going to try and achieve with this chosen word of education in mind.

We finished day three with a visit to one of Oriel Jones' butchers shops in Cardiff. It was an opportunity to hear more about the end consumer and the trends they see as a family farming business in an urban environment of Cardiff. We discussed the breeds of animals both beef and sheep preferred for them to rear and sell in the both areas of the business as well as the skillset they needed as staff members to sell the products and how they are trying to encourage others to come and work within the industry. The use of social media platforms such as Instagram was mentioned as one of the best ways in which to help market their business and products to the end consumer and it was reassuring to hear that there is still a need for the local family butcher in society even though the supermarkets are able to compete with them on price, they can't always beat the local butcher when it came to quality and the traceability of where their meat comes from. A great visit for the end of the first RWAS rural leadership workshop.

As farmers and rural workers we are very aware of the way in which food is produced at the grassroots level we all know so well. We have that knowledge ingrained in our veins pretty much from the day we are born on farm. However, that doesn't always necessarily mean others within the food and policy sectors understand also. We have a voice and we need to use it.

On reflection of these past few days following the first workshop, I have been processing all the information I have taken on board and am continually questioning what our role could be moving forward with this theme of education in mind. I’ve done a large amount of listening, observing and documenting and am thinking about where I feel most confident to contribute to the issue of disconnect  in our society between the farmer as a producer and the general public as the end consumer. However, its not just those two differencing sectors of the food supply chain which need to be considered in this role of education as we have seen and heard over the three days in Cardiff.

Within agriculture, the word education can be broken down into several different areas and it is down to our cohort of 11 rural leaders of the future to decide which path we choose to help. Will it be the education system itself for teaching the children and consumers of the future? Is it the policy makers and government bodies who decide what future lies ahead for food production within Wales and the UK? Is it the farmers themselves by encouraging them to make their voices heard and strong within the policy making, stakeholder opportunities and educational industry? Or is it the end consumer who currently purchases their food based on price rather than origin because the cost of living is affecting their livelihoods so much?

For me personally, yes, as a group of 11 we have a loud voice and views which can be shared from the knowledge we have gained. However, I feel we will make a greater impact as 11 different voices selecting 11 different areas in order for our stories to reach a wider audience. I'm questioning my role as both a farmer and a storyteller in how I can help influence the farmers, policy makers and consumers of the future in their choices for choosing Welsh and British produce over other options on the supermarket shelves. 

This first workshop has definitely strengthened my knowledge on our role as farmers in sharing our stories from the grass root level up to help educate all sectors where possible and also the importance of listening to what others have to say. I may not have necessarily agreed with everything I have heard this past week but I have been listening to other peoples views and opinions and questioning their whys in order to gain a better understanding of my own and where I personally feel I can help.

We have a number of tough questions as farmers to answer moving forward and it is becoming increasing clear that data is going to be required to prove our points and the opinions we raise. However, we can't just stop there. We need to provide the data alongside a suggested solution to our problems in order to try and resolve these issues raised over the three days in Cardiff in the hope of a more balanced industry moving forward. Something clearly went wrong somewhere down the line of our food supply chain and it is proving more and more important that we need to bridge that gap between our farming industry and the end consumers whether that's via our local communities or on a national scale via the policy makers and third party corporations. After all our main aim to strengthen our farming futures for the better is very clear indeed.

"Great leaders don't set out to be a leader, they set out to make a difference. It's never about the role - it's always about the goal".

Until next time

Hx

*The Leadership Programme aims to provide an action-packed programme of training, mentoring, support and guidance over 3 intense residential sessions. The opportunity to network with high profile individuals within the industry. Aimed at inspiring future leaders in agriculture, the programme will be available for anyone to apply, for the limited spaces.