A conference is being held at the National Botanic Garden of Wales on 19 April to consult teachers on the delivery of food and farming education in schools.
Elin Jones, Minister for Rural Affairs, will deliver the keynote address and there will be speakers and workshops on topics including school gardens, farm visits, food co-ops, keeping livestock in schools and the global aspects of food.
The conference is being organized by the Growing the Future partnership which includes Organic Centre Wales, FACE Cymru, the Botanic Garden and the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens.
It will include a hot ‘school meal’ that has been locally sourced with some organic ingredients, as part of ongoing work by the BOBL (Better Organic Business Links) project to develop sustainable procurement.
“The Growing the Future network has held a series of conferences to share good practice in food education and procurement,” said Jane Powell of Organic Centre Wales and FACE Cymru. “Now we are very keen to put the focus on teachers, to hear what they are doing, and what they most need in order to produce a generation of people who understand where food comes from and how to produce it.”
“With its obvious and important links with The Outdoor Classroom, Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship, Appetite for Life and the 14-19 Pathways, food has a vital role in the delivery of the curriculum,” said Jane Richmond, Head of Learning at the Botanic Garden, “and with wider concerns of food security for the future, good quality teacher and pupil training and on-going support have been identified as issues that need to be addressed.”
All teachers are invited to the conference and to participate in the consultation that will be part of the day and help shape food training provision in Wales.
For more information about the conference and to book a place, please contact Jane Richmond on 01558 998768, or e-mail [email protected]. You can also download an application form from the schools page at www.organiccentrewales.org.uk.
