A programme aiming to enhance farmers' skills around financial risk and management is set to take place over the coming months.
The initiative comes as farmers in some parts of the country prepare to face another year of drought and trying conditions.
The training course will be piloted with sheep, dairy, arable and horticulture businesses in Hawke's Bay, Manawatū, Canterbury, Otago, and Southland.
Up to 130 people are expected to take part in the training courses, which kick-off next month in Winton, Southland.
Funding for the programme comes from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), which has allocated $331,000 to the Agri-Women's Development Trust (AWDT) to research, design and deliver the course.
Nick Story, MPI's director of rural communities and farming support, said farmers and growers often faced challenging conditions that were out of their control.
"This course will give them the skills, tools, and confidence to help make their agribusinesses more financially resilient. Farmers and growers can't control the weather, commodity prices, or shifts in consumers' shopping habits, but they can plan and prepare for change."
AWDT general manager Lisa Sims says the aim of the course is to empower farmers and growers to understand the different types of risks facing their businesses, and give them skills to develop plans to manage the financial and personal implications of those risks.
More details about the course can be found here.
