Farmers and landowners in Essex can find out how to apply for Rural Development Service (RDS) funding towards diversification projects at special Friday business clinic in Chelmsford on 2 December.
Grants awarded this month brought the total amount of funding to almost £20 million since 2000, helping more than 300 projects in the East of England.
The clinics will be held in Defra's Chelmsford office, on Beeches Road, and will provide one-to-one advice for anyone wishing to make an application for funding under Defra's project based schemes.
These include:
* Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG) - improving agricultural processing and marketing infrastructure
* Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES)- supporting a diversified and enterprising rural economy
* Vocational Training Scheme (VTS) - improving occupational skills of farmers and foresters.
The schemes are part of the England Rural Development Programme
(ERDP) which was launched in April 2000. Since then, £19.8 million has been awarded to a total of 309 projects throughout the East of England. Sharon Sharpe, an adviser with the Rural Development Service in the East of England explained:
"We are holding clinics across the region to answer queries and offer guidance on the requirements of the various schemes, eligibility of particular projects and what applicants should include in a business plan. We may also be able to suggest other sources of funding."
Projects that have successfully applied for RES funding include:
Woodford Meats, of Canewdon, towards converting a redundant building into a farm shop, providing on-site refrigeration and a delivery van;
Butterfly Lodge Farm Shop, in Abberton, towards goats milk ice cream making and
Sarah Green's Organic Farm Shop, in Tillingham, towards converting redundant stables into a retail unit.
To book an appointment of up to one hour, potential applicants should contact Sharon Sharpe, on 01553 819555, or email with a short paragraph explaining the project you're pursuing: Sharon.sharpe@defra.gsi.gov.uk