Growing the next generation: why accessible training matters

Today we’d like to introduce Amy, who is starting with us at Community Roots on a placement as part of a Level 3 Diploma with Work Experience in Regenerative Land Based Systems, Agroecological Food and Farming. Amy’s journey reflects both the dedication many people bring to food growing and the very real barriers they face when trying to build a career in the sector.

Amy has been volunteering with Community Roots for over two years, first joining our volunteer days and then becoming a regular Wednesday volunteer harvester. Growing up with a parent who was a gardener gave her an early connection to plants and land. After completing a degree in psychology and social sciences, she went on to volunteer in a therapeutic gardening project in Brighton and Hove. It was there that she began to see how growing can support mental health, wellbeing and community connection.

After relocating back to her homeland Cornwall, Amy became involved with Roots and quickly discovered that while her enthusiasm and commitment were strong, the route into paid, skilled growing work was far from straightforward. Trainee roles in horticulture and food growing are highly competitive, often oversubscribed, and frequently rely on unpaid or very low paid placements. For many people, this makes training inaccessible.

In 2024, Amy took part in a Permaculture Design Certificate course run at Community Roots through the WEA. This course was free for people on low incomes and offered an important introduction to working with nature, sustainability, and long-term thinking around land use and food systems. It played a key role in deepening Amy’s understanding of regenerative growing and strengthening her confidence to pursue this path further.

Permaculture courses continue to be available at Community Roots and remain an incredibly valuable learning opportunity. However, without dedicated funding, these courses now need to be self-funded. While they are absolutely worth the investment, this again highlights how access to training often depends on a person’s financial circumstances.

Amy’s next step has come through the Apricot Centre’s Regenerative Land Based Systems diploma. Based in Totnes, Devon, the course focuses on regenerative growing practices and practical, land-based learning, exactly the kind of skills needed to support resilient local food systems.

Crucially, the structure of this course has recently changed. Previously, it required one day a week in college and four days in placement, a commitment that made participation impossible for many people who also need paid work. The revised model now requires one day in college and one day in placement, allowing trainees like Amy to continue earning while gaining hands on experience. Amy will complete her placement day with us on a volunteer day at Community Roots.

This change is significant. It recognises that access to training should not depend on a person’s ability to work unpaid, and that the future of food growing depends on opening doors rather than narrowing them.

Amy’s story also sits within a wider national context. While there is currently no formal funded training available for farming in Cornwall, the growing and land-based sector as a whole has experienced major losses in training provision. This includes the closure of Schumacher College in Devon and Newton Rigg College in Cumbria, leaving a significant gap in accessible, values led education focused on regenerative, small scale and community-based growing.

At the same time, government funding for adult education is routed through local authorities such as Cornwall Council and is largely allocated to large institutions like further education colleges. Land based organisations such as CSAs, despite offering hands on, practical learning rooted in real food systems, are unable to access this funding directly.

This creates a disconnect between where learning happens most effectively and where funding is directed. Regenerative food growing, local food security and ecological resilience depend on practical, place-based skills that are best learned in community settings, not just classrooms.

The Apricot Centre’s training model offers a hopeful alternative. It values practical experience, accessibility and real-world application. By supporting trainees, it helps build a future workforce that understands both land and people.

We’re proud to be able to provide Amy with a placement and to be part of a wider conversation about how training in food growing can be made more accessible if we are serious about environmental resilience and local food security. Alongside her traineeship, Amy is looking for relevant paid part time work that would support her financially while continuing to build experience in therapeutic gardening and land based growing.

Community Roots is built on a strong volunteer led model, which has opened valuable gateways into growing, wellbeing and land-based careers for people. However, like many community food projects, this model does not currently come with the funding needed to pay more people, or even fully reflect the amount of work carried out by our existing staff. This is not a lack of ambition or commitment, but a reflection of how community led food growing continues to be undervalued within current funding systems.