Wales' Cabinet Secretary for Education, Kirsty Williams, has joined farmers and school children to launch a Welsh language teaching resource educating children about the importance of food and farming.
Miss Williams visited Builth Wells CP School on Thursday 24 November to help launch the ‘Why Farming Matters/Pam Fod Ffermio’n Bwysig’ education packs produced by NFU Cymru and Farming & Countryside Education (FACE).
The education packs, now available in both English and Welsh, are designed to provide teachers with ideas and activities to help stimulate and foster children’s interest in food and farming, encourage healthy eating and lifestyles, as well as encouraging pupils to think about where their food comes from. The resource, aimed at Key Stage 2 pupils, looks to weave the themes of food and farming through the curriculum areas of English, Welsh, maths, geography, science, art and design.
The new Welsh language teaching resource is the latest work to be released as part of the wider NFU ‘Why Farming Matters’ initiative, which has been raising awareness of the contribution made by agriculture to rural communities for a decade.
'Excellent way to inspire'
Miss Williams said the teaching resource is an 'excellent way' to inspire and educate children about the many ways in which farming supports everyday lives in Wales, whether that be through food security, employment, the environment or the economy.
“It’s great to see NFU Cymru and FACE working together to deliver an educational tool that helps teachers deliver the important themes of food and farming in a variety of subjects across the curriculum through the mediums of Welsh and English,” she said.
NFU Cymru Deputy President, John Davies, said: “We know that farming is the bedrock of rural communities in Wales and that the Welsh language makes a vital contribution to Wales’ cultural identity. Many of our communities were built on agriculture, so it’s important that we help protect and nurture the important traditions that play such an integral part of life in Wales.
NFU Cymru will be encouraging its members to make contact with their local schools and help distribute the education packs to teachers in their local area.
Jane Powell, FACE Coordinator for Wales, said: "Engaging children with farming is vital if they are to have an understanding of how food production, environmental conservation and economic activity all fit together, so that they can help build a world that can feed future generations. Farmers have a special role in the food system and this pack will help them to connect with schools and get their message across."
