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"THINK FOOD AND FARMING" TO RECONNECT EVEN MORE YOUNG PEOPLE WITH FOOD AND FARMING
At this year’s Royal Show details about the legacy of the Year of Food and Farming were revealed. Think Food and Farming is the exciting legacy project building on the successes of the Year.
The details of Think Food and Farming were announced on Friday 4th July at a reception at the Royal Show chaired by Sir Don Curry, where stakeholders from the food and farming and education sectors pledged their support to the legacy. DEFRA Secretary of State Hilary Benn attended and encouraged everyone to build upon the successes of the Year of Food and Farming to ensure that young people are offered even more activities and resources to continue reconnecting them with their food and where it comes from.
Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) will take on the custodianship of Think Food and Farming from 1st August 2008 once the Year of Food and Farming has formally ended. FACE is a charity that is committed to educational work associated with food, farming and the countryside. It achieves this by working in partnership.
During the Year of Food and Farming over 2,500 organisations have supported the Year and over 23,000 young people have been involved in the campaign. It is estimated that around 1,000,000 children have visited farms and places of food production throughout the Year which has increased from 680,000 in 2007. Around 1,000 farmers are now trained, an increase of 400 in a year. It is hoped that Think Food and Farming will continue to promote vibrant activities and links which are helping children to understand more about where our food comes from and involve them in even more memorable first hand learning experiences.
Many new resources have been produced during the Year and it is hoped this interest in engaging young people will continue. Farmers, food producers and many other organisations will be able to add to the existing list of events, activities and resources that support teaching, both inside and outside the classroom, during Think Food and Farming.
There will be a new website for the start of the new academic year in September 2008 at www.thinkfoodandfarming.org.uk. This will keep schools up to date with the latest news and highlight educational projects that schools can participate in. The Megamap and resource bank from the existing Year of Food and Farming website will move to a permanent home at www.teachernet.gov.uk/growingschools. The evaluation of the Year of Food and Farming will be published in October 2008. This will be a crucial piece of evidence to help inform the future of the legacy. For more information visit www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk.