THE links between urban communities and rural Scotland grow weaker with each passing year. There was a time not so many years ago that those living in towns and cities had some knowledge, largely through relatives, of what was happening in the countryside.
It might sound unbelievable but many consumers are unaware of the connection between a litre of milk in a supermarket and the cow that actually produced that white liquid.
However, the Royal Highland Education Trust, which was established with min
imal funding in 1999, but with the backing of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, is doing sterling work in disseminating the rural message at a time when food and farming have arguably never been more important for 50 years.
During the past year RHET took 10,300 children on to farms and arranged for another 23,000 to discuss food and farming topics in the classrooms of more than 800 schools throughout Scotland. Upwards of 500 farmers have been involved in the visits and classroom talks. The efforts of this charitable organisation were recognised by the Scottish Government recently in the form of a grant of £60,000.
Alison Motion, the manager of RHET, said: "Farming, food and the countryside offer a host of learning opportunities within a variety of subjects including, maths, biology, geography, environment, social history and modern studies.
"Farm visits are ideal for experiential learning and, within the classroom, pupils can debate and discuss the issues involved in modern food production."
The full article contains 255 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
