The GWCT’s Allerton Project Training Team has been awarded the contract by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to deliver the Government’s new Baseline Agricultural Training programme for its internal staff for the next four years.
The programme has one simple aim: to help deepen understanding of modern British agriculture amongst staff working across the DEFRA Group – including those who shape policy, work with land managers, advise farmers, or oversee environmental regulation.
This represents one of the largest training-led knowledge-exchange programmes awarded to GWCT to date. It recognises the unique position the Trust holds in bridging science, farming practice and policy, and is a major vote of confidence in our evidence-based approach.
Through a combination of classroom learning and practical, on-farm experience, participants gain a clearer picture of how farms operate, the challenges they face, and the opportunities ahead for food production, nature recovery and climate adaptation.
Being selected as the delivery partner for this national training programme is an important milestone for the Trust. It reflects decades of evidence-based research, practical demonstration and farmer-to-farmer learning championed by GWCT, particularly through the Allerton Project. To deliver the contract, we have created a bespoke digital training portal from scratch, enabling secure registration, learning materials, resource tracking and feedback collection. The first in-person training sessions have already taken place at the Allerton Project in recent weeks, with further dates scheduled across England.
Commenting on the contract, Allerton’s Head of Training, Joe Stanley said: “Most Defra Staff are not from farming backgrounds, yet they have to make important decisions which affect the agricultural industry. This contract enables us to share our knowledge and upskill the Defra Team providing a solid foundation to assist in policy and practice”.
Early feedback has been extremely positive
Although the programme is in its early stages, feedback from attendees has been extremely positive: “This was such a great opportunity with such informative hosts who were happy to answer any questions we had. What a great way to introduce anyone working within Defra Group to farming.”
For many participants, this is their first experience of visiting a commercial farm, speaking directly with farmers, and seeing environmental land management in action.
Strengthening this understanding will benefit both policy and delivery – something GWCT has long advocated.
Deepening knowledge exchange at a national level
The Trust is proud to be working alongside Defra to support better-informed decision-making, better environmental outcomes and stronger relationships between policymakers and the farming community. As the programme develops, members will hear more about the reach of the training, the farms involved, and the impact it is having.
Delivery is being supported by the Allerton Project’s training team, alongside our valued partners Ceres Rural and Andy Guy Consulting whose expertise, professionalism and wider sector knowledge augment the science based skills of the GWCT Allerton Team.