I have been a smallholder since 2005 and made a loss for 3 years before having a very hard look at what we were doing and what we could do. Moving from Scotland to Cornwall was a huge risk for us and we just couldnt do the same things that were profitable in Scotland down here.
Lots of smallholders have more than one job, and so did we! No-one is asking people to be martyrs to the cause - we all have to live to keep this way of life, so we diversified. Best thing we did.
I worked part time as a Training Co-ordinator for the Rural Business School and my husband offered agricultural welding & fabrication.
We stopped being an egg producer & packing station as it was like burning money and set up small pens of rare breed hens for hatching eggs which we sold very profitably. We still got to eat the surplus eggs, but it made enough money to support ALL the poultry we kept.
There is so much more to making a smallholding life profitable, and people and their skills and own smallholding are so unique that there isnt a 'one size fits all' solution, so Im looking at a variety of case studies from real people who have made rural businesses that work and are profitable. The smallest plot of land belongs to a lady who actually only has a cottage with a garden, who justs makes a living making cordials.
Im not writing a 'smallholding manual', thats been done to death. This book will look in some depth at diversification ideas that may suit individuals who are living a smallholding life but who are struggling with it. Naturally, not every smallholder who reads the book is going to be a runaway success - but a lot of that is down to the fact that some people are never going to be good in business, either because they have no people or marketing skills or they dont or cant change what they do.
I have some case studies ready now from a charcoal maker, a cider & juice producer, a wood fuel producer, a cordial maker, a cheese producer and a fish farm! Im looking for other people who have diversified and have businesses that they run from a farm, smallholding or cottage who wouldnt mind answering a few questions to help me with this book (no nosy questions asking how much money you make!).
Thanks