The Farm Advisory Service (FAS) provides farms and crofters across Scotland with information and resources aimed at increasing the profitability and sustainability of the businesses through four main areas: an Integrated Land Management Plan, Specialist Advice, Carbon Audits and Mentoring for New Entrants. Winning Moves was commissioned to by the Department of Food and Rural Affairs to monitor and evaluate the service’s quality, focus and effectiveness.
Winning Moves secured a sample of 116 beneficiaries via a telephone survey, thereby achieving a good response rate of 39% of the total population. The report provided an understanding of the extent to which actions recommended as part of the one-to-one advice had been taken, the outcomes of the support, satisfaction with the support and any gaps in support or improvement suggestions.
The full report can be found here.
We were pleased that the report provided us with a good understanding of the outcomes of the service to date. The report also helpfully provides some suggestions about possible areas of improvement that the Government can consider in terms of the scope and delivery of advice in the future.
Anna Murray, Scottish Government