Over 2,800 children from across 48 schools in Kent attended an educational event to learn more about farming and where food comes from.
The 'Living Land' event, organised by the Kent County Agricultural Society, aims to educate children on all aspects of agriculture and the wider-countryside.
Children were able to learn about local produce by making their own apple juice and butter as well as having a go at milking a cow.
A live birds of prey demonstration taught how these animals are used as an eco-friendly pest deterrent by farmers, and animal displays allowed children to meet lambs, goats and cows.
On show was also the story of how a sheep’s fleece becomes a woolly jumper and incubators holding eggs with hatching chicks. Displays of vintage and modern tractors showed just how much farming has changed over the years.
The event follows the launch of a new educational initiative by TV presenter and farmer Adam Henson, which seeks to educate school children where the food on their plate comes from.
The initiative hopes to create a generational shift in how the nation engages with and values food provenance.
The recent spike in food and farming education follows comments by the NFU that highlighted how British children have a "huge lack of knowledge" when its comes to knowing how and where their food is produced.
Indeed, a survey of more than 27,500 children conducted by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) found that nearly a third of children believe cheese comes from plants, tomatoes grow underground and fish fingers are made of chicken.
Kent County Agricultural Society is one organisation that seeks to spark an interest among school children in food and farming.
Its Living Land event is part of the Kent County Agricultural Society’s wider initiative to encourage education and development in farming, including a scholarship scheme and funding for Kent Young Farmers’ Clubs.
