Thousands of children engage with FaceTime a Farmer project

Thousands of school children are getting the chance to learn more about agriculture and the countryside by taking part in online chats with farmers as part of the FaceTime a Farmer project.

Over 170 schools have now signed up to the initiative that brings the world of food and farming directly to the classroom for pupils from their early years through to secondary level.

The initiative, which was the brainchild of Cambridgeshire farmer Tom Martin, is a unique partnership between teachers and the farming community, based on a simple premise.

The idea is that volunteer farmers are ‘matched’ with a school to allow children to regularly chat to them live from their classrooms through fortnightly FaceTime or Skype calls. It’s a chance to discuss ideas, ask questions, share knowledge and gain a ‘real-time’ understanding of modern farming.

Teachers use the chats to tie in with different aspects of the curriculum, with calls linked to topics such as climate change, genetics, animal welfare and the environment. Farmers are able to get involved without needing to spend hours away from the farm, making it easier to fit such a commitment into their busy working lives. There are representatives from almost every farm sector involved, including arable, dairy, livestock, intensive poultry, cut flowers – and even a fish farm.

The project is coordinated by the charity LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), who in 2018 struck a two-year sponsorship deal with Strutt & Parker, as part of the BNP Paribas Group, to help drive the initiative forward.

Our funding, along with sponsorship from Sainsbury’s, has been used to help support the appointment of a part-time coordinator, who is working to promote greater uptake in schools and match the farmers and teachers.

The feedback from everyone who has taken part suggests the impact is hugely positive for all participants. LEAF reports that 100% of the farmers involved enjoy the calls, with the questions asked by the children often highlighting the level of disconnect between the public and agriculture. For example, during his first FaceTime session, one dairy farmer was asked by a child to explain what a calf was. It turned out that many of the others in the class of 8- to 9-year-olds also had no idea.

During an online chat with another farmer, the children were surprised that he was not wearing a hat, as many had the stereotypical view that farmers were old, wore flat caps and chewed on straw. The sessions are an opportunity for farmers to dispel some of these myths and build a greater understanding of food production, among what will be tomorrow’s consumers.

Teachers are equally enthusiastic, reporting that FaceTime A Farmer is proving to be an engaging, real-life learning opportunity for pupils that fits well with guidance from school standards body OFSTED about the need to teach a broad and balanced curriculum.

One primary school in Kent, which has been paired with a farmer from Wrexham, has covered the following subjects through their regular calls.

• The daily, busy life of a farmer
• The different animals and how they are taken care of
• The animals that live on the farm and what might happen to them
• The journey of the thousands of eggs laid every day
• The life cycles of the different animals
• Why some animals are bottle fed
• Safety on the farm
• Where the farm is located on a map

Teachers also report that speaking to farmers is opening the minds of students to a possible future career in agriculture – an option that many might have never considered previously.

Such is the level of enthusiasm for the scheme that it is attracting international interest, with farmers from overseas currently investigating whether they can start something similar.

At a time when the farming industry is facing a period of uncertainty, it is more important than ever that people understand and value what farmers deliver in terms of safe, affordable supplies of food and maintaining and enhancing the environment.

Facetime A Farmer is one of the building blocks which will enable the industry to do that that and one which Strutt & Parker is proud to support.

FaceTime A Farmer is currently looking to recruit more farmers willing to take part. If you are interested, please contact project coordinator Julie Neale.