Farming And Countryside Education (FACE) aims to help young people learn more about food and farming in a sustainable countryside. The organisation, of which Syngenta is a member, focuses on these four areas:
Enhancing the school curriculum
Visits to farms and horticulture units
Improving the service to schools
Promoting common interests
Syngenta has supported the production of a CD-Rom, developed by FACE and the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which helps farmers create a teachers' information pack for their farm. We believe this will help show children the real source of food and how the work of UK farmers helps ensure a consistent supply of high quality, nutritious food, grown in a sustainable way.
Using the new resource, farmers are able to explain and promote what they have available. It helps them plan how to make the most of their farm for visitors. Copies have been distributed to farmers interested in educational access, and it is anticipated that demand will continue, particularly through distribution of the pilot Farm Accreditation Scheme - a project in which farms have volunteered to demonstrate that they are suitable for school visits.
Syngenta has also supported FACE in the development of an interactive game that is both fun and educational.
The game uses information from Buzz, a three-year environmental research project that is designed to provide UK arable farmers with practical suggestions for how to create new wildlife habitats and boost farmland biodiversity within a profitable and sustainable farming system.
The Buzz Biodiversity Game is designed to be used by young people in the classroom and encourages them to take a fresh look at farming and wildlife and start asking important questions about why biodiversity is important and how farmers can conserve and increase biodiversity. Fact sheets provide further help and information for students, while teachers can access additional supporting materials. The game can be accessed through the FACE website.
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