Low-cost IT courses for Anglian farms

24 May 2001



Low-cost IT courses for Anglian farms

By FWi staff

HUNDREDS of farmers and farmworkers in East Anglia are to be given subsidised training courses in a bid to improve their computer skills.

A 30,000 grant from the East of England Development Agency means farmers and their employees can get 12 hours of training for 40 plus VAT.

The grant, matched by the Home-Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA), has slashed the price of courses, which would have cost in the region of 200.

At least 270 people are expected to be trained next month during a series of sessions run by the Home-Grown Cereals Authority and National Farmers Union.

The Ministry of Agriculture, the National Pig Association and local colleges are also involved in the initiative, which was developed in conjunction with FWi.

Farmers will be taught about e-mail, accessing the internet and using programs such as the HGCA Grain Marketing Challenge in four sessions of three hours each.

Project manager Chris Knock said farmers were being targeted because computer skills were now essential for so much of their work.

Computer access made it easier for farming groups to contact members, boosted MAFFs drive towards online form-filling and would aid diversification, he said.

“Farmers who want to diversify and do other things need to have access to the information upon which they can make informed decisions,” said Mr Knock.

“IT is not something farmers can ignore, as all businesses must adapt to e-commerce,” he added.

Plans are afoot for Englands seven other regional development agencies to launch similar training courses, specially aimed at farmers.

The initiative comes amid indications that farmers are eager to use computers, and that one in three have bought products online.

Preliminary results from an e-Business survey carried out by DBT and FARMERS WEEKLY reveal that 69% of farmer respondents use computers for their farm businesses at least once a day.

Almost 80% of farmers responding access the Internet at least once a day, with the top three websites visited being FWi, the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Farmers Union.

To contribute your own experiences to the survey, and receive a copy of the final report, click here.

• Whats up on the web, FWi, 20 January, 2001
• Help farmers get computers, says Gill, FWi, 14 June, 2000
• E-subsidies could isolate farmers, FWi, 05 June, 2000
  

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