London schools take part in Farm Academy Programme

Over the next few years, the Soil Association will be working with 10 schools across London in the Farm Academy Programme, which helps teach pupils about where their food comes from through farm visits and the establishment of school farmers markets – organised entirely by pupils. Over the summer, Jubilee Primary and Sebright Primary in Hackney and Poplar Primary in Merton spent four days on an organic farm, taking part in a variety of activities – from cheese-making to hen-keeping and growing and harvesting vegetables. As well as providing opportunities for pupils to learn about food and farming, the Farm Academy Programme helps support small, local producers through the school markets and provides the opportunity for members of the school and wider community to buy local, fresh and seasonal produce and meet the farmers behind the food. Pupils are involved in running the markets from start to finish. They take responsibility for what happens and the decisions are theirs – enabling schools to communicate the importance of sustainably-produced local food and providing a context for looking at food chain issues and understanding where food comes from. Money raised from producer stall fees and the sale of produce made/grown by the school will go towards further farm visits or food education in their school. At the moment all schools enrolled on the scheme are primary but the success of the programme means it is now being extended to secondary as well. Rupert Aker, head of learning at the Soil Association commented on the project: "The Farm Academy Programme is a fantastic scheme because everyone involved benefits. "You see a real difference in pupils as they learn 'on-the-job' about farming, animal welfare, food growing and cooking – but it also helps provide a new market for local producers and micro- food enterprises; and it also gives the local community the opportunity to buy affordable and fresh local produce, and meet the farmers who are producing the food."