Competence Development Program for the Farmer with Reference to Life as Well as Business

The accelerating changes in the surrounding world and also increasing demands from politicians, consumers, their family etc., makes many farmers feel stressed, focus a lot on threats and weaknesses, and so they become rather indistinct in their relations between private life and business.. At the same time, physical work tends to exclude creative work and strategic thinking. This paper will describe a program, developed for Swedish farmers and other rural businessmen in co-operation between Swedish Farmers Union, (project-owner), and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Step 1 is done in groups of 8 to 12 farmers, guided by tutors, who have been given a four days training program in coaching a group to grow individually in their personality and self-confidence. Each farmer does a "SWOT"-analysis focused on opportunities and strengths. After formulating the idea/mission, goals and activities needed to reach the goals for the business, they formulate the same for their own life. Especially, they focus on their need of competence development, and bring them into a net-based "marketplace for competence". In step 2 a number of new "blocks" have been developed. One is a "Balanced Scorecard" for farmers and rural entrepreneurs. The farmers joining the program find themselves more distinct in relation to the surrounding world and in the relation between life and business. The discussions about life ideas and life quality have been much appreciated. The possibility for strategic thinking and the close connection between strategy and daily work, the focusing on "opportunities and strengths" and the balancing process in the "Balanced Scorecard" are some of the most valuable aspects.