Bringing FFA Abroad
When Craig Davidson moved back to his native Scotland in 2019, he returned with more than nostalgia for home: He took a plan to transform agricultural education.
“In California, there is a link between a high number of students involved in FFA and a strong agriculture industry,” he says. “I knew if we could do the same thing in the United Kingdom, we could improve the industry.”
Davidson, a Camarillo FFA alum who taught agriculture classes at Highland High School in California, knew it would be a challenge. Agricultural education in Scotland is fragmented: There are occasional lessons in elementary school and just a handful of online courses for older students.
Agricultural education is critical as Scotland grapples with workforce shortages, declining enrollment in agricultural programs and fewer students considering careers in agriculture, making it increasingly difficult for Scottish farmers to operate viable businesses. Davidson is working to change that.
Industry Insights at National Convention
He has attended the National FFA Convention & Expo three times (and hopes to attend again in 2026) to talk to students and gain additional insights into ag ed models and how to get industry partners more engaged in the educational system.
“One of the neat things with the national FFA convention is being able to meet people from different universities in America,” he says. “There’s been a lot we can actually take away in terms of the education system that we can tweak for a different country.”
Attending the national FFA convention has also provided Davidson with the opportunity to recruit students and promote scholarship opportunities at Scotland’s Rural College where he is a program team leader. Davidson hopes that having American students in Scottish classrooms will elevate agricultural education in the UK.
“International students … bring a whole different dynamic into the classroom,” he says. “It’s going to improve the experience for Scottish students to get a chance to see what American agriculture is all about.”
The plan to improve agricultural education in Scotland is building momentum. Scotland’s Rural College partnered with the University of Kentucky to improve agricultural education provisions in the STEM curriculum in Scotland.
Going forward, Davidson hopes that teachers will feel more confident teaching agriculture, more students will pursue degrees in agriculture and the workforce will become more robust—and maybe there will even be FFA chapters in the UK in the future.
“There is nothing else like agricultural education in America,” Davidson says. “FFA is by far the most organized and most well-rounded ag education program. American students are so fortunate to have the resources … and the brotherhood that exists in FFA.”
