I was both perplexed and disappointed at the recent Government rejection to MP Julian Sturdy’s introduction of a GCSE in Agriculture into the school curriculum.
I welcomed Mr. Sturdy’s proposal to introduce the GCSE in Agriculture as it would provide an opportunity for school children to learn and experience where their food comes from and how it is grown.
Farming has historically been seen as a ‘dirty’ industry with hard work and long, unrewarding hours. This is off putting to school leavers and has contributed to the lack of interest in the industry. I believe that the introduction of Agriculture into the school curriculum would assist with promoting the industry and addressing the perceptions, which is desperately needed with the labour shortages we are experiencing.
When rejecting the proposal to introduce the new GCSE, the Government commented that they believed there were sufficient opportunities for individuals to learn the skills needed to run their own rural businesses. However, I find this difficult to understand as the vast majority of school children live and attend school in urban areas and do not have access to farms. In addition, recent campaigns have shown that many children do not even know where their food comes from and have a lack of understanding in how a farming business operates.
The NFU Education department has made an outstanding effort in bringing their teaching resource packs into schools and educational faculties, but more can be done to include food production into the syllabus at all levels. I believe that the interest exists for Agriculture to be introduced in the curriculum both for school children and mature students, as we have seen a recent trend in urban farms and interest in sustainable farming on social media.