On-farm visits for schoolchildren piloted by AHDB and Leaf

Farmers are being offered fully funded training to host school visits on their farms as part of a new initiative by AHDB and farming charity Leaf.

Initially, 20 farmers in England and Wales are being sought, to be involved in the pilot stage of the project.

The AHDB will work alongside Leaf education specialists to provide Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme (Cevas) training and accreditation for the farm businesses involved.

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This will be provided either as a two-day face-to-face course in November, or as a series of two-hour online sessions over a six-week period.

Farmers will be expected to commit to a minimum of two farm visits from schoolchildren following the training.

Training will be funded through the AHDB levy, following last year’s Shape the Future consultation, which found levy payers wanted a higher proportion spent on education.

AHDB head of education Roz Reynolds said initially it is hoping for five farms of each of the main AHDB sectors to be involved in the pilot (beef and lamb, pork, dairy, and cereals and oilseeds).

If successful, the training and farm visits will be expanded to more schools and farms in the near future.

Ms Reynolds said AHDB is excited to launch the project and believes it has the potential to make a real difference to the way schoolchildren learn about where their food comes from.

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.”

Applications can be submitted online until 16 October and more information can be found on the AHDB website.