Interested in travelling the world to enhance your farming knowledge, career prospects and share what you learn with others? If so, a Nuffield Farming Scholarship could be for you.

The 15 November deadline for 2011 applications is fast approaching and Nuffield is looking for self-motivated people who are passionate about their area of interest, which can be anything related to agriculture, horticulture, forestry, or associated industries.

Each scholarship provides a bursary towards travel and subsistence expenses for eight weeks of individual study, as well as an international briefing involving industry leaders and other scholars. In return, a written paper must be provided and study findings presented at the annual conference.

“Most scholars return from their travels with a spring in their step and a new-found confidence in their abilities and ambitions,” says John Stones, director Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust.

“The information and knowledge they gather, the doors that are opened and the new experiences they encounter, more often than not bring a brand new perspective to their work and their lives. They never look back.”

Ben Stanley from a mixed family farm in Leicestershire undertook a Nuffield Scholarship in 2008, looking at how to improve returns in the beef and sheep industry by maximising the value of the fifth quarter.

“My scholarship to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the USA gave me a terrific insight into the global beef and sheep industries. It helped me understand how supply chains in other countries are geared to harvesting every possible value stream from their animals… the fifth quarter is not waste, but opportunity.”

“A Nuffield Scholarship provides an incredible key to a world of opportunity – opening doors that would normally be shut and building a worldwide forum of friends who will challenge the way ‘you think’ and the way ‘you do’.”

2009 scholar Richard Hooper says many people worry that spending eight weeks travelling could cause their business to fall apart while they are away. “I was one of those people. But as most past scholars will tell you, what actually happens is that colleagues and employees enjoy the challenge of added responsibility.”

FW’s own deputy news editor Caroline Stocks is currently doing a Nuffield Scholarship. You can follow her progress at www.nufsaid.net

Nuffield Scholarships

• Around 20 scholarships awarded each year

• Open to UK residents aged 23 to 45 (inclusive)

• Candidates should be established in their career and passionate about the industry they work in

• Not open to people in full-time education or further research projects

• No pre-requisite academic qualifications needed

• Deadline for completed 2011 applications is 15 November 2010

• An application requires two references

• Interviews for 2011 scholarships will be held in London in January 2011

• For more information and an application form, see www.nuffieldscholar.org, or call John Stones on 01858 555 544, email nuffielddirector@aol.com