Living Land teaches 2650 children about food & farming

The Living Land, an event organised by the Kent County Agricultural Society, had another successful day last week with 2650 school children attending to learn about where their food comes from. The Living Land is a free to attend event for Kent’s primary school children aiming to provide a hands-on experience of the processes and work that goes into producing their food and life in the countryside. Local farming machinery dealership, Burden Bros, brought a combine, tractor and cultivator, and tractor and drill for children to see the farming cycle. Produced in Kent also brought a display which demonstrated what food is grown in the county and the importance of food miles. Catherine Joules from the Marden Fruit Show Society said: “We are here today giving slices of apples, apple crisps, pear crisps and fruit bars to the children. We’ve had an absolutely brilliant day, a lot of the children have said that they’ve never tried an apple before so it’s been great for us to introduce apples to them. We’ve had a couple of different varieties, allowing them to see the difference between them we’ve really enjoyed it and so have the kids.” The Living Land also partnered with a number of local Young Farmers’ Clubs to bring animals to the event for visitors to meet. Jemima Pierce from Brockhill Park Performing Arts College said: “We’ve had rabbits, pigs and cows here today and we’ve been teaching the kids all about farm to fork and where their food comes from.” Visitors to the Living Land were able to meet the animals and find out about life on a farm and the work that goes into looking after livestock. Children were also able to visit the Discovery and Machinery Area to see vintage and modern farming machinery with a display from Wheels of Time showing how farming and food production has changed over time. A display from the Leeds Castle Falconry team demonstrated how these animals are used as a pest-deterrent by farmers with a thrilling show of their birds in action. The Living Land has been running for 16 years and is organised by the Kent County Agricultural Society, a registered charity, and this year was supported by the Rochester Bridge Trust and Wheeler Foundation. The Society works to promote development and education in agriculture, horticulture and countryside life, and the Living Land is part of the Society’s work to promote education in these areas to schools. To find out more on what work the Society does, visit www.kentshowground.co.uk or get in touch on 01622 630975 or info@kentshowground.co.uk.