New farm science resources announced for host farmers
BBSRC has funded three new public engagement projects to produce on-farm activities that will inspire and educate people about the science behind farming and food production. The activities will be used by farmers and visiting scientists at LEAF’s Open Farm Sunday on 5 June 2016.
Open Farm Sunday, managed by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) is the farming industry’s annual open day where the public can find out how their food is produced and the work farmers do to manage the countryside. Since 2006, over 1,000 farmers across the UK have opened their gates and welcomed over 1.5M people onto farms across the UK. The activities funded by BBSRC focus on egg production and soils, as well as ‘whole farm’ science to enable visitors to understand the importance of farming within the context of food security and raise awareness of how UK bioscience underpins the agricultural industry.
Dr Patrick Middleton, Head of Engagement at BBSRC, said: “LEAF’s Open Farm Sunday is such a great opportunity to engage people with the relevance of research to farming and, ultimately, the food on our plates. ”
Annabel Shackleton, Manager of LEAF’s Open Farm Sunday, said: “Connecting people with their food, where it comes from and how it’s grown is a fundamental part of delivering more sustainable food and farming. The more we understand about our food and how it is produced, the more we come to value it and the work farmers do. LEAF’s Open Farm Sunday enables people to discover the world of farming first hand. We are delighted to be working together with BBSRC to bring visitors a range of exciting new hands-on activities which will captivate, engage and inform people about the science behind farming and how science is helping farmers to meet the challenges of climate change, a growing global population and rising health issues in innovative and sustainable ways.”
Funded projects:
Improving soil to improve our food — Professor Duncan Cameron, University of Sheffield
A root-viewing based activity to highlight to a family audience the importance of maintaining healthy soil for our crops and livestock.
Where’s the science in that? — Dr Simon Griffiths, John Innes Centre
An activity to encourage visitors to learn about the science involved in the arable year.
Cute eggs - Dr Ian Dunn, Roslin Institute
An activity to communicate the importance of the invisible protein cuticle that surrounds an egg in protecting it from harmful bacteria.
All registered Open Farm Sunday host farmers will be able to gain free access to these new science based resources, together with a wide range of other resources when they register to host an Open Farm Sunday event on the 5th June 2016.
To view the new Science and Technology pages click here.
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