Promoting the national importance of farming – as well as tackling misinformation – has led to the creation of the UK's first ever courses in agricultural communications.

Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) will teach students on its new online micro-credentials courses how to tailor their messages for different audiences and to track their impact, including how to get the most out of social media.

Course lecturer Dr Jeff Miller, a tenured professor of agricultural communications at the University of Arkansas, said: "Agricultural communications courses have been established in the United States for a number of years and I think there's a growing need for the discipline to be introduced in the UK.

"One of the keys to strengthening the agriculture industry in the UK lies in communicating about its national importance and about the industry's commitment to improving both the economic and environmental aspects of producing food." 

Craig Davidson, Programme Leader for Agriculture, added: "Effective communications are just as important in agriculture as they are in other industries. Knowing how to reach the right audience, how to tailor your message and how to track your impact is really important nowadays. The demands on the industry are always changing and becoming more complex. There's also a lot of misinformation out there so understanding audiences and looking ahead is more important than ever before."

Among other disciplines, the courses will teach students how to write press releases, create crisis communications strategies and develop integrated marketing plans.

The micro-credentials have no entry requirements and can be taken in any order and at the learner's own pace.

Current available modules are Agriculture Communications and Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications in Agriculture. Modules in Issues Management and Crisis Communication in Agriculture, Science Communications and Digital Media in Agriculture will be available at a later date.

Beyond communications, students will gain hard and soft skills in navigating issues which impact agriculture, as well as experience in leadership roles, marketing, public relations and influencing policy making.

To find out more, visit www.sruc.ac.uk/microcredentials