Tag: food production

Open Farm Sunday: Families invited to see farming with nature in action

Ahead of Open Farm Sunday’s 20 anniversary, new research by organisers, LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), reveals deep-rooted public support for farmers who produce food while protecting nature.

Families across the country have the chance to visit one of over 250 farms taking part in Open Farm Sunday on 7 June, to discover the world of farming, make new connections and explore the vital links between food production, farming and nature.

The survey of more than 2,000 people found that 93% believe it is important for the UK to maintain a strong level of food production capacity in an increasingly uncertain world.

At the same time, 89% agreed that protecting nature on farms, including healthy soils, flood defences and biodiversity, is essential for long-term food production, while 71% said farmers should focus on producing food while also protecting nature.

The findings highlight the importance of helping people see, first-hand, what sustainable farming looks like beyond the supermarket shelf. On Open Farm Sunday, farms of different sizes and sectors open their gates, giving visitors the chance to ask questions and discover how wildlife, soils, water, technology and food production are all connected.

Annabel Shackleton, Open Farm Sunday Event Manager, said: “Open Farm Sunday is a wonderful day of discovery. Families can immerse themselves in a world they don’t usually see.

“It’s an opportunity to see sustainable farming in action, not as an idea on a label, but as something real, practical and happening every day. This research shows people care deeply about food security and about nature, and farmers are working hard to deliver both.

“For 20 years, Open Farm Sunday has helped build trust and connection between the public and farming. This anniversary year is a wonderful opportunity for children and adults alike to engage with farming in an interactive, fun and inspiring way while seeing how their everyday food choices can help support a more sustainable future.”

Open Farm Sunday is one of the farming industry’s leading public engagement programmes. It offers a unique opportunity for visitors to meet farmers face-to-face, get up close to machinery, livestock and crops, and learn how farmers care for the land, take pride in their work, and use bright ideas to grow good food.

This year’s campaign encourages people to turn food labels into lived experiences by visiting a farm, meeting farming champions and discovering how nature and innovation work together.

Find details of local farms to visit on the Open Farm Sunday website.

Supporting Orkney’s farmers and food producers

Plans for new abattoir get funding boost

Orkney’s farmers, crofters and producers could benefit from a new local abattoir which will help them bring their produce to market, benefit the island’s economy and support high-welfare meat production.

First Minister John Swinney visited Orkney Auction Mart, which has received a £15,000 grant as a lead partner to help build the business case for a new, fit-for-purpose processing plant.

The funding is part of the Scottish Government’s Small Producers Pilot Fund, which this year has provided a total of £256,500 to support private kill abattoirs including in Shetland, Wishaw, Barra, Dingwall and Mull.

By creating more localised supply chains, the Fund aims to increase the proportion of food grown and processed by small farms and small holders, and consumed within the community.

The First Minister said: “The Scottish Government is committed to supporting small producers and strengthening Scotland’s food supply chain. We know that local marts and abattoirs play an important role in supporting island businesses and ensuring the best animal welfare.

 “A new facility in Orkney would bring many benefits for the people who live and work here, supporting economic growth in the area and the future sustainability of the island’s food production industry.  We will continue to work with HIE and the Orkney Islands Council as the project develops.”

Chair of Orkney Auction Mart Alan Corrigall said: “We were delighted to welcome the First Minister to Orkney to explain, first hand, how vital a new abattoir is for our community. Our case has been well received and we very much welcome the Scottish Government’s support.  

“We’re looking forward to working in partnership with local butchers and other stakeholders, to build a strong business case for this important project.”

Supporting Scotland’s small producers – gov.scot

It’s Good to Grow: Morrisons reconnects children with nature

– It’s Good To Grow scheme will see in-store and online spending rewarded by giving gardening equipment and seeds to UK schoolchildren –

– Move to encourage children to eat fruit and vegetables as 70 per cent are more likely to eat produce that they have grown themselves –

Morrisons has launched ‘It’s Good To Grow’, a campaign in all of its stores that will donate gardening equipment to schoolchildren across the UK in the hope of educating kids about where their food comes from.

The scheme will see customers gain one ‘It’s Good to Grow’ token in their My Morrisons account via the app and website for every £10 that is spent in store or online, which can then be donated to any school to redeem equipment such as gardening tools, composting bins and seeds to get growing. 

The National Food Strategy, published earlier this year, outlined the need for the UK to improve dietary health whilst protecting the environment, warning that a failure to do so could lead to obesity costing the NHS £15 billion by 2035.

Morrisons hopes the initiative will help build a connection between kids and healthy food by making school children more aware of the journey of food from field to fork.

New research by YouGov on behalf of Morrisons has found that some children aged six to 15 do not have a good understanding of how fruits and vegetables are grown.

For example, only 34 per cent correctly identified how asparagus is grown, with 32 per cent stating that asparagus is grown underground and 21 per cent saying they don’t know how it is grown. This highlights a need to show kids how food is grown to help them eat better now and in the future.

Being Britain’s biggest foodmaker, Morrisons is empowering children to connect with the natural world for them to better understand what they are putting into their bodies. Giving children the tools and knowledge needed can help develop better dietary habits – with research finding that out of 1,115 children surveyed aged six to 15, 70 per cent are more likely to eat produce that they have grown and cared for themselves.

Over half (56 per cent) of the children aged six to 10 in the UK are not currently eating their recommended amount of fruit and vegetables each day. The Morrisons scheme aims to build a closer relationship between children and fruit and vegetables so they can see that it can be easy and inexpensive to grow their own produce once they have the necessary skills.

Rachel Eyre, Chief Customer & Marketing Officer at Morrisons, said: “We’re really proud of the work that we do for British food and with British farmers. It’s great to be able to launch a campaign that will give our youngest customers the knowledge and equipment to gain a better understanding about where food comes from and how to grow it.

“We want children to engage with nature as it will help them to start eating more healthily now and in the future, because they are more likely to eat fruit and vegetables when they understand them or have grown them themselves.”

‘It’s Good To Grow’ aims to transform 14,000 schools in Britain into Morrisons Growing Schools by giving children additional educational resources to demonstrate the importance of improving their health, whilst making use of their environment.

This is the latest initiative introduced by Morrisons that aims to encourage a sustainable future and follows wider business commitments such as pledging to be completely supplied by net zero emission British farms by 2030 and committing to the Peas Please initiative, run by the Food Foundation, to encourage customers to eat more vegetables.

Download the My Morrisons app via the App Store and Google Play to start earning ‘It’s Good to Grow’ tokens that can be donated to schools for them to redeem gardening equipment. 

For more information visit: https://www.itsgoodtogrow.co.uk .

Plans submitted for Lauriston Farm agroecology project

The Edinburgh Agroecology Co-op (EAC) has submitted plans for their urban agriculture project at Lauriston Farm.

The group’s project aims to address access to local, affordable fresh produce, environmental degradation and promote knowledge of food production.

Planning application details can be viewed here:

https://tinyurl.com/5an2pwf4