Teachers inspired to educate children about food

Farmers from across the industry helped inspire teachers about where food comes from at four regional conferences held across the UK earlier this year.

Over 300 teachers were given an insight into the world of farming and the care and attention that goes into producing food to help them learn more about delivering food education to their students.

The conferences were organised by Food – a fact of life which is managed by the British Nutrition Foundation in partnership with AHDB.

Each event featured a working farmer who gave an insight into their daily life and how they fit into the food production process, as well as dispelling myths and misconceptions about agriculture.

Dairy farmers Scott Shearlaw and Abi Reader, mixed farmer James Taylor and arable farmer Richard Orr each presented at one of the conferences alongside expert speakers from across the food and education sectors.

By providing first-hand knowledge, they helped to create a deeper understanding of where food comes from and how it is produced. This is crucial for teachers to help young people make informed decisions about their food choices and to develop an appreciation for the hard work that goes into producing the food we eat.

The farmers emphasised the practices that are followed here in the UK as well as the environmental benefits and efficiencies, such as how grassland can capture more carbon than trees, feeds the population and provides significant benefit to the UK economy.

The teachers were surprised to learn that if the 278 million dairy cows worldwide were as efficient as UK cows, we would only need around 76 million of them to produce the same amount of milk. And beef produced in the UK has half the carbon footprint of the global average.

The initial feedback showed that the teachers had an enjoyable and informative day with 99.1% of them agreeing it ‘gave them ideas to take back’ and 77% were likely to change their teaching practices.

Outside of the conferences, Food – a fact of life provides teachers of 3 to 16-year-olds with curriculum-relevant resources and training to ensure that young people are better informed about where food comes from, as well as the skills and knowledge for cooking and healthy eating.

Last year, almost 1,000 teachers attended a Food – a fact of life training event.