Taking a Leaf out of a new book to open farm doors
Farmers are being urged to “dip a toe” into the “Open Farm Sunday” initiative and add their own contributions to the coming weekend’ s virtual event which aims to highlight food and farming’s role in protecting and enhancing wildlife and biodiversity.
While the event normally sees several hundred farms around the country throw open their gates to visitors, this year’s event – due to have taken place in June – was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.
However the organisers – Linking the Environment And Farming (Leaf ) – are set to hold a series of interactive on-line tours and demonstrations by host farmers around the country.
But all in the industry are being asked to pitch in and get involved by sharing their own short film clips, photos and stories of food and farming across all the social media channels.
Leaf has also teamed up with British Food Fortnight and Scottish Food and Drink Fort night, to focus on local food and to bring a new cooker y ele - ment to celebrate not only farming but the food which the industry produces.
Ann abel Shackleton, Leaf Op en Farm Sunday Manager, said that farmers could take part through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #LOFS20.
“The focus on Saturday 19 September is nutritious food, seasonal recipes and cooker y demonstrations” she said.
“But on Sunday 20 farmers across Britain are invited to virtually open their farm gates and show the public how their food is produced and the amazing work they are doing to protect and enhance the wildlife and biodiversity on their farms.”
Farmers are being encouraged to go live on Facebook but those who are less confident can send in videos and share photographs, especially about their wildlife and biodiversity highlights.
“Whether it is bee friendly crops, habitat banks or wild flower meadows to boost biodiversity, the day will beavir tu alceleb ration of all that farmers do to protect and enhance the environment and the value of nature to people’s health and wellbeing,” said Shackleton.
“At the very heart of Leaf Open Farm Sunday is telling the real stories of farming and this is the perfect
opp or tunit y for farmers across the country to get involved and collectivelymak ea huge positive impact on the public.”
She said that while it wasn’ t the event the organisation had originally planned, the revised programme provided an amazing opp or tunit y to involve more farmers from all corners of the country.
“These could be farmers who may not have been able to host a Leaf Op en Farm Sunday event for whatever reason before, but who can dip their toe in this year with as little as one photo or a self-made video on their social channels. What we want to show is a really rich and diverse kaleidoscope of farming stories from the people who can tell them best.”
And she added that with the Covid pandemic helping people to put a new value on their food and the fresh air of the countryside the virtual format provided a new platform for even more people to take a tour.