A NEW Scottish Government backed programme is to help up to 200 women in agriculture build their confidence and skills over the next two years.

The ‘Be Your Best Self’ programme, launched this month, follows a successful pilot run in 2019-20, and will involve experts in personal development, mental fitness coaching and agricultural expertise, offering a 'creative and impactful' experience for participants.

The programme is part of ScotGov’s vision for Scottish agriculture – to make it a fairer, more inclusive industry, where farm succession is not determined by gender, training is accessible to everyone, and more women take on senior roles in agricultural organisations. 'Be Your Best Self' aims to support women living or working in agriculture in Scotland to build their confidence, enhance their skills, and develop their leadership abilities.

The delivery team consists of Morna Ronnie and Helen Hubbard of The People Portfolio, Louise Scott and Kirsty Ritchie of Mind and Mission Limited, Nikki Tierney of Leeway and Anna Davies of Scene and Herd PR and Marketing.

Ms Ronnie, said: “We are excited to be able to support women, and the sector as a whole, in this way. By ensuring equality of opportunity and the merger of talents, the delivery team will help to make Scottish agriculture a more resilient and economically sustainable industry.

“We are really looking forward to helping to facilitate change and give more rural women the skills and confidence to take their lives forward in the direction of their choosing.”

Applications for a place on the programme are now open, with participation commencing in October 2021. For more details and to access the application form, visit https://www.ruralpayments.org/publicsite/futures/topics/all-schemes/women-in-agriculture.