Work-based training

The Essentials

• INTRODUCTION
  A New Life on the Land:

  The Crossfields Institute Level 3 Diploma in Biodynamic Farming and Growing

  Are you looking for a way into farming – even if you don’t have any experience?

  Whether you’re just starting out or making a bold career change, this two-year training is uniquely designed to welcome new entrants to agriculture. You don’t need a farming background to join – just a deep interest in working with the land and a willingness to learn.

  From day one, you’ll step straight onto a real farm or garden and begin learning by doing. You’ll work alongside experienced biodynamic and organic growers, building the practical skills and confidence needed to become a competent, capable farmer by the end of your training.

  This is one of the very few training programmes in the UK that gives you direct access to farm-based learning from the very start. It’s structured like a modern-day apprenticeship – combining on-the-ground experience with seasonal seminars that deepen your knowledge and connect you with a like-minded community of land learners.

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  What You’ll Learn

  You’ll gain a full foundation in the core aspects of sustainable and regenerative farming, including:

  • Soil care and fertility
  • Plant propagation and crop management
  • Animal husbandry
  • Farm machinery and infrastructure
  • Marketing, business, and CSA models
  • Planning and managing a farming enterprise

  But what makes this course truly unique is the biodynamic approach – an agricultural method that goes beyond organic to view the farm as a living, interconnected whole.

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  What Biodynamics Brings to Your Training:

  Working with natural rhythms – learning how lunar and cosmic cycles influence plant and animal life

  Biodynamic preparations – using natural substances to vitalise soil and compost

  The farm as an organism – integrating animals, plants, soil, and people into a self-sustaining whole

  Artistic and reflective practice – developing a deeper connection with the land through observation, movement, and creativity

  Holistic thinking – learning to see agriculture in the wider context of ecology, community, and personal development

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  Learn from Experts. Connect with a Community.

  With over 30 specialist tutors and more than 25 years of experience in land-based education, this is the UK’s only certified Level 3 Diploma in biodynamic and agroecological farming.

  You’ll join a network of passionate growers and educators committed to practical change – and graduate ready to launch your own farming project, take on a key role in an existing enterprise, or continue onto further studies in agroecology.
• CERTIFIED?

  The level 3 Diploma in Biodynamic Farming and Growing is an Ofqual Regulated qualification awarded by Crossfields Institute.  It was designed as a collaboration between the Biodynamic Agricultural College (BDAC) and Crossfields Institute to be delivered by BDAC and is endorsed by the Biodynamic Board of Studies and the Biodynamic Association. 

  Crossfields Institute assures the quality and standard of the training and assessment offering a meaningful and internationally accepted vocational qualification.

• EARN AS YOU LEARN

  Really, the training is not expensive. 

  Consider, you are getting a thorough education without incurring debt. Seminar days are cheap compared to most other training schemes. Your training is unique: professional, certified, comprehensive, holistic and covers biodynamic, organic and permaculture aspects. Our training rewards the work placements with grants to ensure their commitment to train you.

• PRACTICALITIES AND COST

  Students identify a work placement in a farm or garden (see our list of training centres).  When you begin the work placement you become an employed trainee at the training centre which includes a contract with the farm for working hours (usually 35-44 hours per week with seasonal flexibility) and a wage (all farms pay at least minimum wage).  These wages should be enough to cover your living expenses and the cost of your training (which is a £500* initial payment followed by 24 monthly payments of £360*).  These payments include all the costs of your training on and off the farm: 40 days of seminars, accommodation and lunches during the seminars, personal support, quality assurance, registration and assessment.

  There is no specific date for starting the training, this is usually agreed in negotiation with the training centre and although it is often most convenient for a training centre to have new students joining in Spring or Autumn, enrolment for the diploma course are welcome throughout the year.  

  The seminars are on a continuous rotation and are flexible to meet students’ needs.

  *prices right at time of writing – a time of soaring costs. Please confirm costs when applying.

• REQUIREMENTS

  Students who enrol in the Diploma course should have a minimum of three, better six months of practical experience in land-based work. It is essential that students have the capacity for self-guided study, the motivation for active learning, and an open attitude to biodynamic perspectives.

  An equivalent to GCSE level education (level 2) and a minimum age of 18 is required, though due to the nature of the training, an age of at least 21 is recommended.

  Students should be willing and able to take on physical work in an agricultural environment throughout the seasons and to work in the normal routines of the placement. This can sometimes mean long working hours and weekend work. Each training centre will also have their own requirements including respect for health and safety, general rules of conduct and possibly the need for a valid driving license.

  If you currently have no practical experience and are interested in the training, there are a few ways to gain some practical experience. Some of the training centres offer seasonal volunteer placements, or you can take a look at the links below for routes to gain experience.

  https://ktcityfarm.org.uk/growing-food-and-community-traineeship-2/

  https://www.wwoof.org.uk

  www.communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk

• DOWNLOADS / DOCUMENTS

  Programme of seminars

  Workbook for training

  Curriculum – unit overview

  CFI qualification specification

   

• I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION!

  Email info@bdacollege.org.uk or contact us