Everyone is concerned about the diet and health of our children. Levels of obesity are rising whilst exercise rates are dropping: a situation arising froma number of factors, including a lack of knowledge about healthy eating and increasing isolation from where our food comes from.

School farms are one way that we can redress this balance. There are currently 65 school farms across the UK, each providing a range of services that link in to the National Curriculum.

A school farm is a teaching facility, often within school grounds, that provides some of the following components:

However, school farms do not need to be based in school grounds or even be directly controlled by the school – they can be situated off-site and be operated in conjunction with local authorities or farm trusts.

Many school farms also provide services to surrounding schools, to related businesses and to the wider community.

Heightened awareness of the importance of educating people about food and healthier lifestyles has led to school farms - along with allotments, city farms and community gardens - being identified as valuable tools in addressing such issues.

In 2000 the Department for Education and Skills, an active supporter of school farms, launched the Growing Schools Programme in partnership with FCFCG, Learning through Landscapes and the Council for Environmental Education.

Growing Schools aims to encourage, support and inspire all schools (nursery, primary, secondary and special) to use the outdoor classroom, both with and beyond the school grounds,

as a context for learning across the curriculum. It focuses in particular on food, farming and the countryside, on ensuring pupils are given first hand experience of the natural world around them and that outdoor learning activities are integrated into every day teaching practices.

In 2004 the Department for Education and Skills and FCFCG formed the School Farms Network to support and assist school farms, co-ordinate meetings and facilitate networking. The Federation’s Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales, is a keen supporter of both programmes.