 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
LATEST NEWS
The Year of Food and Farming will also make an important contribution to delivering the DfES Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto.
Year of Food and Farming to Rescue "Concrete Children"
HRH The Prince of Wales hosts launch at Highgrove
Today's childen are cut off from the countryside, don't care where there food comes from and muddle even basic farming facts, according to research published on 12th September.
These are just some of the findings of a study by the educational consultancy EdComs to mark the beginning of the Year of Food and Farming. The high-profile campaign, which will be launched on 12th Sept at Highgrove by HRH The Prince of Wales, aims to reconnect these “concrete children” to the countryside, instilling in them a life-long appreciation for their food and the way it is produced.
According to the research, a significant proportion of pupils lack even basic “agricultural literacy” – knowledge and understanding of the food chain – storing up problems for their future health and wellbeing. The study of 1,000 pupils revealed:
The Year of Food and Farming study also demonstrated that children with limited or no experience of the countryside are significantly less likely to care where their food comes from. Two thirds of children with regular rural interaction say it matters where their meals comes from, versus just 40% of children who admit they never visit the countryside. These “concrete children” are also less willing to help with meal preparation at home, and are twice as likely to admit they don’t know where everyday fruit and vegetables are grown.
Welcoming the Year of Food and Farming campaign, of which he is Patron, the Prince said:
“One of the more alarming aspects of recent times is that there appears to have been a growing disconnection of young people from the land. This has many consequences, not least that too many children have no idea where their food comes from or how it is grown. We need to change this. The way we produce food matters, and we need to explain that the choices people make when they buy food have a direct effect on the social and environmental future of the countryside.”
He added:
“I am one of those people who feels that what can make the most difference to children is having the chance to grow food themselves. The experience of eating food which they have grown can have the most profound effect on young people, quite literally bringing food to life.”
Prince will launch the Year of Food and Farming by opening up Duchy Home Farm at Highgrove on 12th Sept, becoming the first of many farmers to work with local teachers during the campaign.
Dr Aric Sigman, psychologist and leading expert on children’s health and wellbeing, led the research study published on 12th September. He added:
“This new research paints a clear picture: the more contact children have with the countryside, the better their understanding and awareness of the food chain. The Year of Food and Farming should help children’s nutritional understanding, but it’s also aiming to give pupils direct experiences which could help influence their lifestyles for the rest of their lives.
Recent studies have shown that hands-on contact can influence food choices – for example seeing vegetables in the earth makes children far more likely to eat them on the plate. We also know that giving children green fingers can make them keen thinkers. Many studies illustrate how time spent in outdoor, natural environments like school gardens or the countryside helps boost concentration, improve behaviour and generate academic success. The evidence is compelling: if we succeed in making children passionate about their food, the social and physical rewards could be enormous.”
Tony Cooke, Programme Director for the Year of Food and Farming, commented:
“Educationalists, environmentalists, farmers and food producers all agree that helping children to physically explore where their meals actually come from is the most effective way for them to learn about the food chain. Established initiatives like British Food Fortnight also show us that children do have an appetite to get more involved in food-related activities – we’re working to give them even more of a taste for the role of the countryside. We’ve got strong support from every corner of the countryside, and we’re aiming to shine a spotlight on this issue all year round, making it even easier for schools, teachers and families to get fired up by the food chain”.
With all the gains to be had from reconnecting children to the countryside, the Year is urging farmers, food producers and schools to register on its Megamap – www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk – to give pupils given hands-on, memorable learning experiences that they’ll never forget.
About the Year of Food and Farming - September 2007 - July 2008
The Year of Food and Farming is a campaign to promote healthy living by giving children direct experience of food, farming and the countryside. It will gather together teaching resources from throughout the food chain, and create new materials which complement the hundreds of individually successful partnerships which already exist between schools and the countryside.
Running through the academic year September 2007 to July 2008, the Year was developed by Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) and is endorsed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department of Health. The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) is hosting the programme office for the Year.
A huge number of organisations are involved in driving forward the work to prepare for the start of the Year in September. Look out for events which bring the countryside to the city – for example Countryside Live at Lee Valley Park (20th and 21st September), the Farming to Food Show in London (27-29 September) and the York Food Festival (26 September), as well as long-running campaigns like British Food Fortnight.
Throughout the Year, there will also be linked projects from big retailers like Sainsburys and the Co-operative Group, as well as specific campaigns run by industry supporters. These include the Royal Horticultural Society, English Beef and Lamb Executive, Milk Development Council, British Potato Council, Horticultural Development Council, Home Grown Cereals Authority, British Pig Executive and Dairy UK.
A dedicated Year of Food and Farming website, hosting education materials and details of how to get involved in activities in your region, will go live on 12th September 2007.
For further details on the initiative, please see this Fact Sheet (190 KB)