51AVÊÓƵ

The petition, founded by sheep farmer and former teacher Olivia Shave, aims to put food and farming at the heart of education. 

With nearly 9,000 signatures, to be considered in Parliament the petition needs 10,000 signatures by May.

Helen Rebanks, Lake District hill farmer and best-selling author of The Farmer's Wife, is now an ambassador of the campaign, and says there is a lack of understanding about where food comes from. 

She says: " There is still a massive gap between producer and consumer in terms of understanding food and farming in the UK.

Farming in schools

"Getting children out of classrooms and onto farms is essential in helping them learn where real food comes from and what it takes to grow it.

"We have been hosting school visits on our farm for more than ten years - it is exhausting but incredibly rewarding work.

"Every child in the country should have an understanding of the different kinds of farming that we all rely on for our three meals a day. And helping teachers and parents to learn more about land use and food systems is key too, because when people know where and how their food is grown they can make informed choices about what they eat, and better support our children's learning."

Other ambassadors include Scottish shepherdess Emma Gray, and Irish farmer Becky Cole.

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