Opportunities to grow
The Learning Hub will be closed for maintenance from 5am until 2pm on 5 November. For information, email: [email protected].
Opportunities to grow
Opportunities to grow
Farming and growing offer opportunities for everyone, yet outdated stereotypes about the industry still exist. Discover the diverse range of roles within this sector and gain deeper insights into the work of farmers and growers in your region
"I wouldn't go back to teaching"
Chloe Wilcock decided to start her farming career after becoming disillusioned with the state of teaching.
Having started off with a few goats, she's now renting more land and looking after cattle, pigs, chickens and goats, running her own business.
Having started off with a few goats, she's now renting more land and looking after cattle, pigs, chickens and goats, running her own business.
Discover the facts about working in farming and growing
Find out more about the sectors
You can get a quick insight into how varied the different sectors of farming and growing are with our quick introductions below.
And job seekers who are curious about working in each sector can lake our mini modules on preparing to work in farming and growing.
These detail more about the main roles involved in each sector, the typical tasks they tackle and how they can get started in the industry themselves.
And job seekers who are curious about working in each sector can lake our mini modules on preparing to work in farming and growing.
These detail more about the main roles involved in each sector, the typical tasks they tackle and how they can get started in the industry themselves.
There's a fast-growing market for proteins which don’t come from meat or dairy products.
Arable farming dominates in Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire, where soils are fertile and the landscape is flat.
Beef farms thrive in the West and South West as the milder climate there produces richer grass.
While lush grass fields are often thought of with dairy cattle, technology is increasingly important in the sector.
A huge variety of vegetables destined for the dinner plate are grown in fields across England.
England has a great reputation with fruit, with a rich heritage of orchards, nurseries and pick your own farms.
England also has around 1,700 pigs farms, with a concentration in Yorkshire and Humberside.
Poultry farming is a huge sector, with more than 141 million birds kept on farms across England.
Some delicate crops are grown in a controlled environment, protecting them from changes in weather.
Sheep farming tends to take place in the hills of the North and North West, as the terrain is unsuitable for crops.
The changing climate presents an opportunity for some growers to start their own wine-making business.
Farming and growing in your region
There's a huge variety farming and growing business operating across the country, from vibrant, yellow rolling fields of oilseed rape to free roaming flocks of sheep scaling stony hillsides.
And added together, agriculture and horticulture was valued as contributing £146.7 billion to the UK economy in 2023. On top of this, the sector increased its productivity by 3.7% while the UK as a whole saw an overall drop in productivity of 0.2%*.
Click on the map to find out more about the typical produce, the value of the industry and the size of the workforce in agriculture and horticulture in your area.
And added together, agriculture and horticulture was valued as contributing £146.7 billion to the UK economy in 2023. On top of this, the sector increased its productivity by 3.7% while the UK as a whole saw an overall drop in productivity of 0.2%*.
Click on the map to find out more about the typical produce, the value of the industry and the size of the workforce in agriculture and horticulture in your area.
*Data taken from the latest statistics from Defra - updated July 2024.
asdad
asdad
Heading Example
A paragraph is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Paragraphs are usually an expected part of formal writing, used to organize longer prose.
Find out about real farming and growing roles
Our job profiles provide more information on the range of roles available in farming and growing.
Packed with information on the real tasks involved, plus videos and podcasts featuring people in those roles, our profiles can help you get a better understanding of the diverse opportunities available.
Plenty of support for skills development
Did you know there are a wide variety of financial support packages (bursaries) available to help with training, research and education at all levels in the agriculture and horticulture industry?
Find out more about the financial support available to help people develop their skills ready for a career in farming and growing.
Find out more about the financial support available to help people develop their skills ready for a career in farming and growing.