RPA colleagues Sam Taylor, Holly Harbour, Hebe Adams and Robin Williams
We take a look back at our external engagement across 2023.
We committed to getting out and about to engage with more farmers and rural communities than ever before. We’ve listened, taken onboard feedback and shared information on our schemes and services. We’ve increased our face-to-face engagement and offered our support to those navigating the agricultural transition.
Shows and Events
Our cornerstone of external engagement is our shows and events calendar and in 2023 we’ve attended more than ever across the country – 29 to be exact! We listened to feedback from the previous year and increased our presence to engage with more farmers and rural communities. We’ve had over 2,000 conversations at these events covering Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), Countryside Stewardship (CS), Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Grants.
Colleagues at a joint RPA and DEFRA stand
Our Shows and Events manager Sam Taylor said:
This year has been a brilliant year for external engagement. Personally, I have attended over 20 shows and events all over the country, speaking to hundreds of farmers. It’s been fantastic to get out and about and talk to so many different people. I really enjoy helping them on a 1-2-1 basis and talking about the various schemes and grants the RPA have on offer. We are expanding our calendar next year and will be taking in even more shows and events in 2024. I’m looking forward to another busy season!
As well as farmers, land managers and agents we were also pleased to see Ministers, RPA Non Executive Directors, RPA Directors and our CEO visit our stand. This gave them the chance to hear directly from our customers.
We also offer the opportunity for colleagues in the Agency to get involved and come along to our events to assist. This year we had 95 RPA staff join us at these events, bringing with them a breadth of knowledge and also serving as a development opportunity for many of them to do something a little different to the day job.
But our attendance at shows is only one aspect of our external engagement.
MP Roundtables
Our MP Roundtables really ramped up in 2023, with 17 events held across the year. We had over 500 attendees at these sessions, and they were a great way to speak to farmers and land managers from all areas of the country. We worked alongside the MP’s office for each local constituency to ensure the events were meeting the needs of the constituents. We created a joined-up approach with colleagues from the Farming Programme in Defra, the Forestry Commission and Natural England.
The Roundtables usually start with a presentation from RPA colleagues, followed by updates from other organisations in attendance, giving an update on the RPA 5 year strategy, our plans for working with rural communities and how we’ve been working to improve the customer experience. There is always time for a Q&A session and hot topics always centre around our main schemes - SFI, CS and the phase out of BPS – along with queries around our Grant schemes.
To find out more about an MP roundtable, read the blog we published last year following the Roundtable with Dr Neil Hudson MP in Penrith and the Border constituency.
Ambassadors
Many of our people live and work in the communities we serve and are passionate about meeting our customers and developing their engagement skills, so this year we are proud to have rolled out our Ambassador network.
An RPA Ambassador is someone who represents the RPA by engaging with a wide variety of people including farmers, stakeholders and careers partners to listen, share information and gather feedback. Our ‘Pathfinders’, a group of 20 colleagues from across the Agency, started their bespoke training in early summer and we now have around 100 Ambassadors signed up to the network.
They attended 35 engagement events including, agricultural shows and MP roundtables, and as word of the network has begun to spread, we’ve received more invitations to events to build relationships with local communities. We’ve welcomed new opportunities, including working with the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs and the Herefordshire Rural Hub.
Helen Copeland, RPA Ambassador said:
Being an RPA Ambassador makes me feel a valued member of the Agency. With ongoing support and additional training, the confidence instilled gives me the motivation to be at the forefront of customer experience. With a broader knowledge and access to up-to-date information, I feel better positioned to help deliver key messages to the wider farming community. This role allows me to engage with a such a diverse group. Being a social butterfly, I’m in my element talking and meeting new people! The sense of achievement when I’m able to solve a tiny piece in the jigsaw of someone’s life, makes me proud to represent the Agency and its values.
Helen Copeland, RPA Ambassador with her horse Mischief
Other Opportunities
As well as the usual shows, events and MP Roundtables, we’ve undertaken some less ‘run of the mill’ opportunities too. Attending local events hosted by rural hubs and facilitation groups across the country.
Sandy Kapila, Head of External Affairs, also had the opportunity to chat about the RPA’s progress to farmer Olly Harrison as he, and 3 others, drove a combine harvester from John o’ Groats to Land’s End. Sandy said:
We know the value of hearing from farmers and rural businesses directly. Getting out and about more than we have ever done before listening, learning and seeing what we can do differently. I am grateful to all those that invested time to come along and hear the progress the RPA has been making. I hear from them that they found it useful and that they can see transformation we are working towards in building different relationship with them.
Sandy Kapila with Olly Harrison in the combine harvester
Sandy regularly posts about his travels around the country on X (formerly Twitter). You can follow him @KapilaSandy for more information.
Our 2024 external engagement calendar is fuller than ever, and we are looking forward to getting out to meet even more people over the coming months.
Our Shows and Events schedule will be published shortly, so keep an eye out on the blog for more information.
1 comment
Comment by Dee Tsouvallaris posted on
Fantastic blog, Lauren...being an ambassador has definitely provided me with opportunities I never would have dreamed of and has only stimulated me to want to experience and engage more with our customers....