An online initiative is set to shine a light on farming, in an effort to educate young people on food production and the diversity of agriculture.
Managed by Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) Education and developed in partnership with Brockhill Park Performing Arts College in Kent, Farming Fortnight will focus on providing a range of informative learning resources for parents and teachers to access via the Countryside Classroom online portal.
Running from June 1-12, each day of the campaign will have its own farming theme and the activities, which include videos, lesson plans and topic sheets, are aimed at bringing the world of farming closer to young people.
LEAF director of education and public engagement Carl Edwards said: “Farming Fortnight builds on our ongoing work with 12 to 18-year olds and, specifically, the research we commissioned in 2018 looking at young people’s attitudes to farming.
“What it showed is that young people want to know more about where their food comes from, how it is produced and the science behind it, they just lack the right information.”
Career
Mr Edwards also highlighted LEAF’s research had demonstrated nearly a third of young people said they would be interested in a career in the agricultural sector, adding: “There is a very real appetite for learning about farming and this initiative helps to raise important discussions around issues such as diets, sustainability, food security and future careers.”
With last year’s Farming Fortnight receiving over 100,000 video views, Donna Ashlee, assistant principal at Brockhill Park Performing Arts College said: “Having a dedicated two-week long focus on farming has real potential to inspire young minds, create opportunities and bring about real change to how future generations think about and engage in farming.”
All campaign resources are available, here.