LEAF Education's work goes from strength to strength, report says

The report shows the steps LEAF Education is taking to raise awareness of career opportunities in farming
The report shows the steps LEAF Education is taking to raise awareness of career opportunities in farming

The impact of LEAF Education's work to engage and inspire the next generation of young people to enter farming has gone from strength to strength, according to its latest report.

With public interest in climate change and food security increasing, LEAF Education has experienced a surge in interest from the education sector wanting to know more about where their food comes from.

In response, the agri-education organisation has trebled the amount of training and support it offers to farmers – a sign of how the agri-food sector is increasingly recognising the importance of inspiring future generations.

In the last academic year, LEAF Education has broken its own record, engaging with more young people, teachers, and schools on-farm and in the classroom than ever before.

The number of students benefiting from the organisation’s work has doubled since before the pandemic with a near seven-fold increase in engagement with Key Stages 4 and 5 students.

The organisation has directly provided 35,610 young people with bespoke interactive sessions, worked with 1,570 teachers, and supported 485 farmers with wider professional training, totalling 40,206 hours.

Through its partnership with Farmer Time which connects farmers with schools to learn more about life on a farm where visits are not always possible, 995 schools and farmers have been paired, engaging 30,286 children, and offered 72,511 learning hours.

Writing the foreword to LEAF Education’s impacts report, HRH The Countess of Wessex, Honorary President of LEAF says: “The question of how we feed ourselves, protect our fragile planet and enrich our natural environment has never been more urgent or more vital.

"Sustainable food production is now rightly at the forefront of our society’s collective attention. The call from future generations for us to reach for a world that is not only sustainable but nature positive and climate positive is getting louder.”

Over the last 12 months, LEAF Education has grown substantially, with a new LEAF Education Programme Manager, four full time Regional Education Consultants and an Education Support Coordinator.

Carl Edwards, LEAF’s director, education and public engagement says: “This year’s report highlights how many more of us, particularly young people, want to have a deeper connection to how our food is produced.

"It shows how a growing number of people understand the benefits of the natural environment to our wellbeing, are keen to become more conscious consumers and recognise the contribution they make through their food choices.

"Ensuring our young people are equipped with balanced and informed insights into food and farming is the first step in meeting these shared objectives."