Page 25 - Carmarthenshire Skills Report 2024

Food & Land Management
Future Skills
Many new skills will be required in the near future
given the current political landscape in this spotlight
sector. Changes will involve:
SFS: New funding models to replace the BPS (Basic
Payment Scheme) for appropriating a proportion of
land to habitat and woodland planting / management
/ conservation
Farmers perceive that they are being asked to work
harder and develop new skills in creating and
managing proportions of their current commercial
land for non-commercial biodiversity requirements,
with what seems to be a lower subsidy than they
currently receive under the BPS system currently in
place.
It cannot be assumed that farmers have the
knowledge, experience, machinery, time and
expenditure to implement the new system, whilst
receiving similar financial support with less
commercially available land available for doing so.
They will need support and guidance on how to make
efficiency savings, coupled with production and
productivity increases.
Future Skills Mapping
• Engineers (Mechanical, Electrical,
Environmental, Scientific, Digital)
• Horticulture
• Farm Diversification
• Habitat and woodland management
• Emissions tracking and monitoring
• Energy capture & storage
• Digital literacy, basic to advanced /
Automation / AI
• Sustainability / Local food network
• Planning
• Problem solving
• Methane storage and fuel conversion
• Renewable Energy
• Decarbonisation
• R&D
Efficiency and productivity gains could be made
in the following, all will require a strong training
and skill development network:
• Land use change
• Energy Projects
• Carbon Capture
• Diversification of farm produce
• Net Zero emissions targets, methane capture
and fuel conversion, provide solutions on
how Net Zero can aid business running costs
and efficiency measures.
• Machinery and power transitions – Hydrogen
/ Methane
• Horticulture diversification
• Local food system networks for tourism
demands
• Digital and technology advances. (AI can
help the farmer but can't fully replace)
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Food & Land management sector are already
early adopters of technology such as automated
milking and feeding systems, GPS and
automated machinery advances, drones etc.
therefore new ways or working, (smart working)
is not alien to this sector when a clear benefit is
seen.
Digital, STEM and Engineering skills for this
sector are predicted to increase significantly as
industry look to streamline processes and
increase productivity within the confines of a
tightened labour market and changes to funding
and legislation.
Emissions: trials are underway using methane to
power farm machinery which potentially could be
captured and converted to fuel on site. Many
landowners are also erecting wind turbines and
solar arrays to power the business.
Clear benefits must be prominent in the new SFS
legislation, otherwise the county runs the risk of
a loss of experience and skills over the coming
years if legislation is enforced without benefit
demonstration.
Focus also needs to be placed on the next
generation to be encouraged into the sector and
breakdown current perceptions. Mentoring and
skill transitions are needed now to aid the
replacing of the ageing workforce. Much local
land knowledge may also be lost if action is not
taken.
Food manufacturing engineers are in high demand,
with more and more automation, mechanical,
digital, scientific engineers are in short supply.