Press releases
YEAR OF FOOD AND FARMING TO RESCUE "CONCRETE CHILDREN"
HRH The Prince of Wales hosts launch at Highgrove
Today's children are cut off from the countryside, don't care where their food comes
from, and muddle even basic farming facts, according to research published this morning.
These are just some of the findings of a study to mark the beginning of the Year of Food and
Farming. The high-profile campaign, which will be launched today 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:
- One in five never visit the countryside – indicating that more than a million children across
the country have absolutely no contact with the land.
- 21st century youngsters are more likely to have holidayed abroad than to have explored
England's fields and farms.
- A further 17% have only been to the countryside "once or twice", meaning a third of children
have little, if any, experience of the rural world.
- A fifth of children say they have never picked and then eaten fruit – one of the staples of classic outdoors life*
The 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."
The Prince will launch the Year of Food and Farming by opening up Duchy Home Farm at
Highgrove today, becoming the first of many farmers to work with local teachers during the campaign.