A new innovative Carlow Farm Food Programme has just been announced.
Developed by Carlow Leader and Teagasc it will begin on October 8. The main objective of the programme will be to help potential farming family entrepreneurs in County Carlow to make the transition from cooking/baking at home to a training environment and commercial reality.
It is also hoped that the programme will provide assistance and support to the participants to get their business idea to start-up phase and then progress to training and mentoring.
It will also aim to identify and overcome the barriers that prevent farming families from setting up their own food production business.
The Carlow Farm Foods Programme will also include training in a variety of business skills such as marketing, business planning as well as packaging and design. There will also be training in manual handling, first aid, and safety statements which is mandatory under legislation as well as training that will broaden the participants focus on their product to incorporate nutritional environmental and tourism values.
IT training will be provided to participants parallel to the scheduled training modules which will prove essential for the day-to-day management and development of a rurally-based enterprise. Site visits, guest speakers, and regular assigments will give participants a different perspective on the speciality food sector while introducing them to new ways of thinking.This will place normal responsibility for development on the participants.
