AHDB offers to help farmers to educate the next generation

AHDB is launching a pilot project to help farmers deliver high-quality, safe, and memorable on-farm experiences for school children.

In collaboration with Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) Education, 20 farmers from England and Wales will be offered fully funded training and support to deliver impactful school visits, help give more children the opportunity to experience a real working farm first-hand and better connect with where their food comes from.

Applications are open to farmers who are relatively new to hosting school visits within the Beef and Lamb, Cereals and Oilseeds, Dairy, and Pork sectors. Successful farmers will receive Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme (CEVAS) training and accreditation starting in November.

In addition, participants will gain access to the support of the LEAF Education Specialists and opportunities to network with like-minded experienced host farmers. Schools will also have access to funding towards transport, thereby addressing a key barrier to getting school children out on farm.

• Interested levy payers can access comprehensive details and submit their applications by visiting ahdb.org.uk/schoolfarmvisits.
• The deadline for submission is October 16.

Roz Reynolds, AHDB’s Head of Education, said: "We are excited to launch this pilot project as we believe it has the potential to make a real difference to the way that school children learn about where their food comes from.”

“Levy payers picked education as one of the key areas of AHDB’s work, following the Shape the Future results. AHDB is now actioning this and increasing opportunities for children to access and experience a real working farm first hand.”

The findings gathered from this pilot project will help in shaping AHDB's future education projects and identifying whether a wider roll-out of the support package is a good return on levy investment.

Carl Edwards, LEAF’s Director of Education and Public Engagement added. “We believe that this project will help to equip farmers with the skills and knowledge they need to deliver engaging and informative experiential learning opportunities. This is essential in ensuring that the next generation understands and values food production from farm to fork.”