Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) is seeking input from individuals within agricultural and rural business sectors regarding the potential establishment of a postgraduate program, focused on agricultural communications.

The Masters in Agricultural Communications stands out as a pioneering course in the UK.

Scheduled to be delivered through distance learning starting in 2025, the program is designed to involve various components including social media strategies, data collection, digital expertise, public speaking, and journalism.

Senior lecturer and programme leader for agriculture at SRUC, Craig Davidson spoke on the upcoming program: “The importance of agricultural communications cannot be understated.

“The agriculture industry has a remit to tell the story of where food comes from in order to influence government decision making and public knowledge of agricultural practice.

“There is also an increasing demand on keepers of the natural capital to be good stewards, and providing evidence of good practice will become more important.

“People communicating agricultural topics must have an understanding of the subject area to influence decisions being made and/or information being relayed.

“We would like to hear from anyone in the agriculture industry, especially those on the business side of things who may be involved with marketing and promoting themselves.”

While the survey remains anonymous, feedback can be used to understand the possibility of the programme and how best to design and distribute.

To participate in the survey, visit: https://sruc.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/srucag-communications-market-research