Applications are now being sought from farmers and crofters who wish to be Scotland’s next agritourism monitor farmers.

The programme will support a total of four monitor farms across Scotland – two in the Scottish Enterprise area, one in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise area and one in the South of Scotland Enterprise area.

This new programme will support growth in four hundred agritourism, rural tourism and food and drink businesses across the whole of Scotland via regular in person and online meetings. Regular online events including a twelve-month start-up business programme will support business owners and staff regardless of their location.

A core community group of thirty-two businesses who demonstrate their ambition to invest and scale up in the immediate term will receive additional support alongside the monitor farming families themselves.

The programme is free to all participants who register to take part and participants will have their progress tracked in order to demonstrate the impact of the investment by the Scottish Government in the agritourism sector and the contribution this will make to Scotland’s national strategy targets.

READ MORE: Scottish agritourism awarded £442k towards new monitor farm programme

The national strategy for agritourism in Scotland aims to take the number of farms and crofts in farm retail or agritourism from just over 500 to 1000 by 2030.

The programme will include delivery of specialist help from experts who have set up and run some of Scotland’s most successful agritourism and rural tourism businesses in farm retail, cafes and restaurants, tours and experiences and accommodation. These include:

• Fiona Pollock from Ardross Shop who will support businesses in farm retail, having set up one of Scotland’s most well-known farm shops with her family in the East Neuk of Fife.

• Emma Niven from Loch Leven’s Larder will support businesses in running a café and restaurant, having been instrumental alongside her family in the success of the one of Scotland’s visited farm cafes at Loch Leven near Kinross.

• Donald Riddell who until recently owned and ran Highland Safaris in Perthshire with his wife Julie will provide expertise and support in visitor attractions and tours, with this business being extremely successful in attracting international visitors and the travel trade.

• Caroline Millar will provide expert support in accommodation, having set up and run the 5-star Hideaway Experience business in Angus with her husband Ross.

• Claire Taylor is an experienced communications expert with over a decade of experience working in the media including TV, radio, print and public relations. Claire will provide communications training to businesses involved in the programme to develop confidence and skills in telling their farming and agritourism story to both consumers and to other stakeholders.

The programme will be facilitated and delivered by Caroline Millar and her team from Cas Millar Consulting.

Three in-person information events and one online event take place later this month to explain the benefits of the programme. Attendees will hear more about what is involved, how to apply to be part of the core community groups and how to apply to be the monitor farming families. Representatives from the last programme will share their experiences and delegates will have a chance to meet and hear from one of the experts delivering support.

The events will take place in August, with Alness on 22, Kelso on 23, Kinross on 28 and an online meeting on 29.

For more details, email Caroline Millar, Programme Facilitator at caroline@agritourism-monitorfarm.com