A Farmstart is a program where an organisation supports YOU to develop the farming idea you’re passionate about into a new-entrant business.

To quote the Landworkers Alliance:
“Farmstarts generally include protected access to several of the following things:

• Training and mentoring
• Land
• Markets
• Business support
• Progression (moving beyond the
  Farmstart or Incubator Farm)
• Equipment/Infrastructure
• Access to a community of other
  Farmstarters, or agroecological
  Producers”
• The Landworkers Alliance”

HOW TO SET UP A FARMSTART, 2018

The scheme is designed to help people overcome the barriers to becoming new farmers, growers, and producers. Barriers like the price of land, the price of machinery, lack of tailored support or training for a specific enterprise, lack of community support or routes to market. In times of rising food prices and increasing climate uncertainty, we need more people than ever to be upskilling and contributing to food security in Cymru, whilst learning how to manage land in ways that sustain and increase its resilience to climate extremes.

After two pilot years where we’ve been developing the early model of Cymru’s first ever Farmstart, we’re pleased to announce the opening of our third round of support, thanks to funding from The National Lottery, People and Places!

Applications open 7th September, and will be closed 16th October, for a position on the scheme starting 1st November. Each Farmstart position will run for one year, and each Farmstarter contributes a fee and deposit for use of the scheme that contributes to equipment/materials purchased and used by them and access to expert mentorship and general running costs, whilst main project staff and certain core machinery is kindly grant-funded.

“I’ve had a fantastic first year with the Farmstart, and received excellent support to enable my vision of a tree nursery.”

“Jo and Pete are amazing!”