RECONNECTING FARMING AND FOOD
Reconnecting people with farming, food and the countryside is an ambition (3D) within the refreshed SFF Delivery Plan 'Changing Landscapes, Changing Outlooks'.
A key activity in achieveing this ambition is through the activities relating to the Year of Food and Farming in Education - September 2007 to July 2008 (for more information use the tabs at the top of this page).
SW CoRE, the NFU and Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) worked in partnership to develop a ‘Reconnecting Farming and Food in South West England’ trailer. Supported with funding from SWRDA and primarily staffed by FACE, the trailer will be used at agricultural shows and school visits to illustrate the important link between farming, landscape and the food we eat. If you are interested in using the trailer at an event, please contact us.
School Food Trust
The School Food Trust, set up in 2005 with £15 million of funding from DfES, promotes the education and health of children and young people by improving the quality of food supplied and consumed in schools and providing food skills.
The transformation of school food and food skills is critical to the health of children and will have a significant impact on our economy. Obesity in children is rapidly increasing, children’s knowledge of where food comes from has diminished and cooking skills across communities are declining. Unless we act now the next generation faces a bleak future of ill-health.
Many of the activities that assist in improving human nutrition, such as food standards are dealt with at a national level, however there are areas at a regional level that can be influenced. Goverment Office for the South West is working with a small group including the Schools Food Trust to support the school meals transformation work. They will soon be joined by the Food Standards Agency and their involvement will also be explored.
The group’s role is to ensure the broad range of Government policies and initiatives around healthier eating, school food, food standards, sustainable schools and local procurement are properly co-ordinated in the region.
For further information visit www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk or contact info@sft.gsi.gov.uk or 020 7273 5205.
Transforming School Food -
Developing and Implementation of Nutritional Standards for School Lunches
Research shows that children fed a monotonous diet of poor quality, predominantly processed food do not thrive. Healthier eating in schools will enhance children’s self esteem and self confidence, as well as their nutrition.
The Government has recognised the crucial importance of healthier school food and the report by the School Meals Review Panel, ‘Turning the Tables: Transforming School Food’, outlines the development and implementation of revised school lunch standards, particularly nutritional standards. The Panel reviewed existing standards and made recommendations, the core recommendation being for school lunch provision to meet 14 nutrient standards and 9 food-based standards, which maximise access to healthier foods and remove the availability of less healthy foods.
To view the report visit www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations
Within the region there are a number of organisations and charities who are working to improve the quality of life for those involved in farming and agriculture. These organisations work regularly in partnership to ensure that the appropriate support is given at the right time.
It has been recognised that, as the industry changes its priorities, individuals and families involved in this process are often put under extreme pressure and stress, which adds to the issues that are “hazards of the job” already, such as isolation, financial concerns and industry regulation.
Lead organisations which work regularly together in helping to reduce rural stress in the region are the ARC Addington Fund, Agricultural Chaplains Association, Citizen's Advice Bureau, Methodist Outreach Workers, the Samaritans, Farm Crisis Network (FSN), Gloucestershire Farming Friends, Rural Stress South West (RSSW) and Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI).
There are also many different statutory and business organisations which have highlighted that rural stress is a major issue facing their customers and staff within the agricultural sector. These include Defra, Animal Health (previously the State Veterinary Service), Trading Standards, Banks and many departments of the health service, as well as various sectors of local government. In the South West, events have been held informing such organisational representatives and help them to support farmers that they come in to contact with.
There is a large amount of help and support for those who live in rural parts of South West England. However, getting potential users to access this help is sometimes difficult. Pride and rural isolation continue to be the biggest barriers for rural folk in the South West. However, when those issues are overcome there is some very real support and assistance ready and waiting to help the users (and their families) to move forward positively.
Representatives from the rural stress organisations listed above are working together collaboratively to address some of the issues.
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Last Updated 02Apr08