About 12 months ago I applied for a Nuffield scholarship. A member of my discussion group suggested it to me, so I gave it a go more in hope than expectation. I was shocked to get the call to say I had been successful with the interviews and was selected to receive a scholarship.

It kicked off with a week-long contemporary scholars conference which was in Australia this year. I'll admit to initially feeling intimidated and out of my depth, especially after reading some of the profiles. The scale of the businesses some of the others ran was unreal and I wondered how could I ever hold my own in their company.

I figured the best thing to do was be myself and by the end of the week, it's safe to say the six of us Irish scholars more than held our own.The global focus program run by Nuffield Australia is now compulsory for Irish scholars and is, in my opinion more valuable than the personal study trip. You're thrown completely out of your comfort zone and in with a group of strangers for six weeks travelling around the world getting access to businesses, people and places you never thought possible. The personalities of the people and dynamic of the group is a complete lottery and the years spent on Macra national executive proved to be of great benefit for dealing with this. That trip was a fantastic way to see how organisations worked with the benefit of dealing with people constantly for the six weeks.

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Despite the different climates people are farming in throughout the world, I saw first hand that the people issues such as labour, succession and challenges and opportunities provided by the urban population were the same every where.

I'm writing this in my kitchen and thinking back on all those who hosted me on my personal study. The scenes outside the windows might be different but a farm kitchen is a farm kitchen no matter where you go.

I would highly recommend it to people to consider applying for the scholarship. It certainly throws a different perspective on global and irish agriculture.

*Applications are now open for the 2015 Irish Nuffield Farming Scholarship. Application forms are available online at www.nuffield.ie. For more info contact John at exec@nuffield.ie. Carefully completed applications must be returned by email before the closing date of 31st August 2014.