The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) has set itself the ambitious goal to reach more farming people over the next three years, increasing its level of support fourfold by the end of this five-year strategic period.
“The Council of Trustees has a clear and simple vision for RABI,” said RABI chief executive, Alicia Chivers. “The need for the charity to ensure services and support are available consistently across England and Wales to a greater number of farming people over the coming years is clear-cut and of paramount importance to all at RABI.
“Delivering positive outcomes to four times as many farming people and families across England and Wales by the end of 2024 is an aspirational goal. We believe this is achievable through the expansion of RABI’s existing partnership programmes, forging a more holistic approach that will benefit our farming communities.”
The charity will continue to provide support to those no longer farming due to ill health or age. It will also increase its focus on pre-emptive and proactive support services to farming people. This is, in part, due to the growing levels of farming families living on relatively low incomes.
The strategic plan includes implementing:
- Introducing a 24/7 helpline
- Collaborating with partners to offer consistent, targeted support across England and Wales
- Supporting best practise through a volunteer network
- Launching preliminary peer-to-peer pilot schemes at a regional and national level
- Developing holistic support packages with specialist and sector providers
“Looking to the future, RABI’s long-term intent is to work in partnerships to provide support for up to 25,000 farming people annually, as a more collaborative approach with partner organisations is developed,” Mrs Chivers concluded.
