Macra Agricultural Skillnet Approaching Decade of Raising Skills Levels Across Irish Agricultural Sector  

Ensuring the agri-food sector remains strong and sustainable into the future, Macra Agricultural Skillnet is dedicated to supporting young farmers to navigate the many and varied business challenges that come with new ways of working, embrace sustainability, compete within international markets and incorporate new technologies into their day-to-day operations.   

Established in 2015, the Network’s mission is to enhance farm productivity, efficiency, safety and sustainability on all levels across the sector and support a wide range of SMEs.   

In recent years, Macra Agricultural Skillnet has established a number of partnerships to provide new opportunities to farming enterprises. The Network has collaborated with Teagasc, Agriculture Science Association (ASA), University College Dublin (UCD), Irish Grain and Feed Association and Farm Business Skillnet, among others, to deliver high-impact training and lifelong learning opportunities.   

Key for any business is an ongoing focus on innovation and change, and this is certainly the experience of young farmers navigating the rapidly changing economic landscape. Since launching in 2018, over 60 graduates have been upskilled through the University College Dublin and Macra Agricultural Skillnet Master’s (MSc) in Agricultural Extension and Innovation.  

The MSc is aimed at graduates or those working in the agriculture and wider agri-food sector, and it is available to individuals working with farmers and farm families. The programme is designed for participants whose roles are centred around building a strong, lasting relationship with the farmer, such as advisory, business planning, safety or inspection experts to ensure the chosen message reaches the target audience. The programme is designed to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge to be effective in building the capacity of farmers to adopt new practices and technologies. 

Commenting on the impact of the programme, Gillian Richardson, Macra Agricultural Skillnet Network Manager, said: “This Master’s was originally designed as a form of graduate programme for businesses in the agri-food sector, that did not have their own in-house graduate programme. Recent graduates would often come out of college with excellent technical knowledge, but employers felt that they were lacking in the necessary soft skills. Many agricultural Master's programmes focus on technical skills, but this programme is designed to give graduates the skills and knowledge to support farmers in behaviour change, business development and innovation.” 

As farmers evolve their practices to meet these challenges, the agri-business advisor working alongside the farmer must also evolve to meet the needs of the industry and the wider community – or run the risk of becoming obsolete.  

Macra Agricultural Skillnet have partnered with Teagasc to design and deliver the Farm Succession Conversations Training series. The programme is designed for professionals who communicate, facilitate and mediate directly with family farm owners, family members and their potential successors on the succession process. The one-day roleplay and hands-on workshop focuses on facilitating and mediating succession and inheritance conversations. Facilitating the networking and engagement has proven as important as the training supports in developing agricultural leaders of the future.  

Meanwhile, Macra Agricultural Skillnet have also delivered a range of programmes covering key topics, such as Setting up a Small Business, Future Agri Leaders and Advanced Animal Nutrition.  

Further information about the full range of upskilling supports offered by Macra Agricultural Skillnet, is available online.