Nuffield Canada Scholar applications open April 1

Nuffield Canada will accept a new intake of scholar applications from April 1 through June 30 for the 2025 scholar cohort. Applications and more information can be found at www.nuffield.ca.

Nuffield Canada is a registered charity, directed by volunteers, focussed on continuing adult education in the agricultural sector through international study and experiential learning. Scholars, selected through a written and one-way video application process, choose a topic of interest and advance their knowledge and understanding on that topic through a combination of international study in countries of excellence, networking with other international Nuffield scholars, exposure to alternate approaches to agriculture, and formalized study directed by Nuffield Canada.

Each year Nuffield Canada offers $20,000 scholarships to mid-career men and women, who are Canadian citizens approximately aged 25 – 50, with a passion for agriculture, and who are ready to challenge themselves in a self-directed program of international travel and study. Unlike academic scholarships, Nuffield Scholarships are for the personal and professional benefit of those already established in the industry. Upon completion scholars will add value to Canadian agriculture by sharing their knowledge and assuming positions of greater influence in their fields.

Scholarship recipients can come from all areas of primary production including food, fibre, health care, biofuels, forestry, aquaculture, and fisheries. Recipients can come from any part of agriculture, from production to value added processing to governance or communications. They can be involved in any aspect of the industry including as owners, managers, employees, administrators, or bureaucrats, and all industry philosophies are welcome including commercial, organic, cottage, medicinal, Indigenous, Halal and others.

Scholars are required to do a minimum of 10 weeks of travel study within 24 months to examine and research a topic or issue of their choosing that is relevant to modern production. Each scholar then prepares a written report (approx. 10,000 words) of their research findings, conclusions, and recommendations, and presents a summary to the Nuffield Board, with peers, sponsors, and industry leaders in attendance.

For scholar sponsors, Nuffield offers exposure to new products, services, technologies, and marketing approaches through knowledge brought home by scholars. They also gain relationships with the very best young farmers and entrepreneurs in Canada and throughout the world through the Nuffield International network. Sponsors become part of a pathway for leadership development within organizations, industry and rural Canada as Scholars go on to become highly sought after as speakers, advisors, board members and influencers. Sponsors are further embraced as part of the Nuffield network through communications sharing, hosting tours, speakers, and helping to recognize leadership potential and encouraging applications.

Nuffield Canada is over 130 alumni strong and is part of a larger international community with affiliate organizations in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Zimbabwe. Scholar recipients instantly become members of the 2000 global Nuffield alumni network, which hosts and supports traveling scholars.