Commodity watch by policy officer Sarah Morrell
In Northern Ireland (NI) we have a positive story to tell about local food production and the countryside that is cared for by farmers and their families.
Farmers have had a difficult summer and although a spell of good weather earlier this week has been good for ground, livestock and everyone’s mood, it’s easy to get caught up in worries about the winter ahead and changes to agriculture policy. However, at the heart of farming is the desire and ability to produce high quality and well cared for plant and animal products and more than ever we need to focus on the positives and share the good work that farmers are doing.
As younger generations become more detached from farming, the responsibility to promote agriculture has fallen to farmers and the agri-food industry. The sooner we begin this conversation the better. In 2016 the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) along with Agri-Aware, created the ‘Dig In!’ resource. ‘Dig in’ is readymade teaching resources for foundation stage to key stage four pupils. Through lessons and worksheets, pupils learn about local agriculture. The resource also covers science, geography, mutual understanding and personal development – all topics within the local curriculum.
This resource is aimed at primary school teachers, parents and guardians and can be downloaded for free by following the education tab on the UFU’s website. Along with the ‘Dig in!’ resource, the UFU have created a range of other resources to help teach children about local food production including the Open Farm Weekend virtual farm tour of Craighall Farm. In the video, husband and wife duo William and Claire Clark, show viewers around their mixed farm which includes dairy, vegetables and crops.
Open Farm Weekend will return again in 2024 from Friday 14-16 June. During the weekend farms open their gates to the public and school children, and provide an insight into all the good work that is happening in the countryside on farms. Schools are encouraged to save the date and budget to attend the range of farms that will be open on Friday 14 June 2024. As well as attending, open farms schools are invited to take part in the Open Farm Weekend schools’ competition that will be launched January 2024. This multimedia competition helps teachers introduce or reintroduce the topic of farming in the classroom. Children are NI’s future consumers and with varying diets trending, the most important trend that should be in fashion all year round is support local.
In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract labour on farms. Sparking an interest in children at an early age could help inspire them to choose agriculture as their career.
