Farming is becoming increasingly challenging for farmers who are facing additional challenges that have emerged through the last few years. These have included the impacts of weather and climate change, which were once again in the news today with broccoli being the latest crop to be stressed by a lack of water at critical stages in its development. The unpredictability of the climate is a key factor.
A recent story focussed on diversification and the farmer who built a padel court on his land. This is a fast growing sport in the UK. The potato farmer in North Yorkshire said he was getting more money from this than from his potato crop.
When teaching about farming, the idea of diversification is often included. This could include:
- glamping or other forms of accommodation
- solar panels / wind turbines
- pick your own / farm shops - Jeremy Clarkson's farm is an extreme example of this perhaps and would be known to many of the students
I've started putting together a little diversification resource as many farms will be interested in options which reduce the risk of weather-related issues during the farming year.
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