Hundreds of youngsters from across the north and north-east hope to learn more about food and farming at next week’s Royal Northern Agricultural Society Spring Show.
The Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI) is a rural charity on a mission to teach more children about where their food comes from. Established in 1997, and supported by the Royal Highland Education Trust, the charity provides support to schools and teachers in Moray, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire with projects on food and farming. It also organises visits to farms and agricultural events, such as the Spring Show next week.
More than 300 pupils and their teachers from 15 schools across Moray and Aberdeenshire will attend a special food and farming event at the show.
According to the charity’s development officer, Rachel Heydon, the kids will get the chance to take part in a range of hands-on activity sessions and discussions, which aim to demonstrate the role and importance of agriculture in food production and land use.
“Children will get to try their hand at bandaging during a workshop run by Meadows Veterinary Centre and will get to mill their own flour and press their own rapeseed oil in a workshop about cereals and crops,” said Mrs Heydon.
“They will get the opportunity to view animals being judged in the show ring and look out over the extensive penning area on the catwalk where they will see sheep, cattle and horses.”
Machinery dealers – Ravenhill Ltd, HRN and Sellars – will show the children farm machinery, while other sessions will be run by Scottish Wool Growers and Norvite.
Mrs Heydon said: “Building bridges and an understanding between farmers, producers and the pupils, who are the consumers of the future, is crucial.”
In the last academic year, RNCI organised 67 farm visits and 112 classroom speaker talks, reaching almost 4,000 pupils across the region.