In the Forum at the University of Exeter there is, at the moment, a display of posters detailing PhDs that are currently being researched at the University. This one, ‘The Forgotten Farm Worker’ details the work of my colleague in the LEEP Institute, Caroline Nye.
Succinct and beautifully designed, complete with contractor, sun, clouds, rain, potatoes, carrots and a worm!
Worth reading the details of the research and the findings (double click on the image to enlarge) – very pertinent in today’s political climate
A Dartmoor blog 
The mention of courses at Agricultural Colleges not providing the skills necessary is very disturbing when you consider the cost of the courses both to the student and the education service. It is also, sadly, said of many University courses. All these agricultural courses include farm practice which ought to provide the proper practical experience needed. Is it the everyday practical things that are lacking, while courses go too far into the fanciful future or the impractical excessively expensive?
Good points to which unfortunately I don’t know the answers!
A few years ago at an APPG meeting on the topic of soil protection, I asked (through the Chair) for a show of hands from participants who were farmers, and then from contractors. A good number of the former, none of the latter. Considering the high proportion of landworking that is done by contractors this suggested that there was a lot of scope to improve the effectiveness of advocacy, merely by talking to the right people.