Post by Sustainable Food Trust

Last week, alongside Growing Communities and The Harmony Project, we brought together educators, policymakers and food leaders at Dagenham Farm to demonstrate a simple but largely overlooked solution to improving food education: using working farms as classrooms.   The event, held as part of our UK Beacon Farms Network, explored how urban farms can reconnect children with where food comes from – offering practical, sensory experiences that can't be replicated in the classroom or on screens.   🌱 We believe that time spent on farms can be transformative. Currently, around 1 in 3 children are leaving primary school overweight or obese, and many never have the chance to see how their food is grown. Farm visits can help to bridge this gap, showing how the health of soil, plants and animals impacts our own health and wellbeing, and inspiring a deeper connection with what we eat.   We were also delighted to be joined at Dagenham by chef and broadcaster, Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall, and Madam Mayor Princess Bright ACCA, Civic Mayor of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, highlighting the growing role of local leadership in supporting community-based food initiatives. 👉 Learn more about how the Beacon Farms Network is bringing together sustainable and regenerative farms to act as educational platforms at https://lnkd.in/e-2VZcqs.   ✉️ If you’re interested in supporting the development of the Beacon Farms Network or the work at Dagenham Farm, please get in touch with us via [email protected] 🎬 Hear from our Head of Projects, Bonnie Welch, and Katy Barker, Head of People and Places at Growing Communities, as they share their thoughts on the day in this short film by Daniel Callen.

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