Farm exchange scheme explained

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 7, 14 July 1987, Page 13

Farm exchange scheme explained

An international agricultural exchange scheme which has about 1,200 participants world-wide each year is available to all young farmers, male or female aged between 19 and 28 years, in New Zealand. At a public meeting in the area recently, the Auckland-based representatives of Hans H. Kristensen Travel (NZ) Ltd, Ms Helene Phillips, explained details of the scheme. The scheme was started in 1965 by a young Danish farmer, Hans Kristensen who, two years earlier, had travelled to Canada in order to study and experience first-hand, the farming methods of another country. This experience made him realise the lack of back-up support available to young farmers who wished to travel and work abroad where they could gain a knowledge of the agricultural scene other than in their own native countries. On his return to Denmark he decided to set up such a support scheme to assist other young farmers and in 1969 the International Agricultural Exchange Association scheme was introduced into New Zealand. Since then the popularity of the scheme has built up until now about 100 young NZ farmers travel and work overseas each year while about 230 young farmers from North America and Europe come to live and work on New Zealand farms. . The scheme - which is

not strictly an 'exchange' scheme in that neither the participant nor his/her family has to host a young farmer from overseas - works like this: ♦ Each applicant must be between 19-28 years of age. ♦ Each applicant must have had some farming experience. ♦Applicants can elect to spend 7 months, 9 months or 15 months overseas. ♦ Those electing the 7month option leave NZ in April each year. Those electing the 9-month option leave in February. Both these periods are spend with the same farming family on the same continent (North America or Europe). Those electing the 15month option spend that time with two families - one in each continent. ♦The scheme is available to both males and females with some farming/agricultural/horticultural/ veterinary experience. ♦ The all up cost (irrespective of the time spent overseas on the scheme) is about $4000. This covers return air travel to and from NZ, travel to seminars within the continent, insurance etc. ♦ Host families are obliged to provide work, accommodation and board and pay a weekly allowance. ♦ Applicants close in December each year and must be made to: Hans H. Kristensen Travel (NZ) Ltd, Equiticorp House, 73 Symonds Street, Auckland. "We limit the ages of those eligible for the scheme because we fell at those younger a s people will fit in more readily to a

home where they will live with the host family", said Helene Phillips when the Bulletin interviewed her last week. "Also, if we recruit people with a farming background not only will they be able to gain more from studying comparative methods and contribute something of their own NZ experience but, because life in a rural community can sometimes be isolated and lonely, they will adapt better to some of the situations they may find themselves in," she said. "We close off the applications in December so as to let applicants and hosts introduce themselves and get to know each other through correspondence in the 60 or so days before the first applicants depart in February." The scheme is becoming increasingly popular in New Zealand particularly with 22-24 year olds who often combine this work experience with a longer trip overseas. The countries of choice include: Canada, USA, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands.