Students will learn about farming and food production thanks to new educational tools
9th January 2025
Two educational tools that explore food production and farming topics have been created for secondary and A-Level students.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has collaborated with LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) to bring to life subject curriculums through a suite of resources.
One of them is set to be used by A-Level teachers to aid with curriculum links in schools, and the other for farmers engaging young people in hands-on learning experiences on farm visits.
AHDB explained that the resources were created as there is a clear gap in educational resources that align agricultural content with curriculum specifications.
Accurate and comprehensive understanding of agriculture’s role
The project transforms AHDB’s technical resources into teaching materials, effectively communicating agricultural practices and sector priorities. By focusing on these topics, the resources challenge perceptions of agriculture related to climate change and showcase the industry’s proactive sustainability efforts.
Elsa Healey, AHDB senior education manager, said: “By creating curriculum-linked materials, we aim to address misconceptions about the agricultural sector and showcase its positive environmental impact, innovation, and relevance to key societal challenges.
“This effort ensures that students gain a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of agriculture’s role in today’s world.”
The development of these resources involved close collaboration with the expertise of AHDB sector teams, with LEAF education specialists playing a key role in ensuring the resources meet educational standards and are classroom ready.
Benefiting the next generation
Carl Edwards, LEAF director, education and public engagement, said: “This partnership has enabled a new suite of resources that benefit both teachers and farmers, showcasing the direct links between subject curriculums with food, farming and sustainability.
“This in turn benefits the next generation who want to learn more about our sector but as our research, ‘How do Young People Perceive and Value the Agi-Food Sector’ has shown, are rarely given the opportunity to do so. We welcome the opportunity to continue to encourage engagement with our future generations at all ages and subjects.”
The project included piloting the materials in schools, gathering feedback and creating a bespoke landing page on Countryside Classroom to increase visibility, accessibility and create a central hub to access the materials.
Find more educational resources on AHDB website.
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