A research organisation which works to support innovation and improve productivity in the dairy industry across Cumbria and Southwest Scotland is supporting a campaign to increase awareness of farming among young people.
The Digital Dairy Chain has awarded nearly £10,000 to the Golden Hooves initiative run by the farmer-owned dairy co-operative, First Milk.
Funded by UK Research and Innovation, the Digital Dairy Chain says children are increasingly unaware of how their food and drinks get from farm to fork.
It is hoped by using innovative ways of sharing knowledge will help broaden the appeal and understanding of the industry.
The plan will be developed to ‘bring children and families closer to the world of dairy and regenerative farming and start to teach them in innovative ways about biodiversity, soil and what a day is like on a working farm,’ it said.
The project, called learning about regenerative farming through novel technologies, is aimed at developing a learning experience for children and families about regenerative farming.
Working with STEM leaders, teachers and technology companies they wanted to explore how to make this learning experience as interactive and memorable as possible. The aim is to develop a range of learning experiences which could be delivered in a classroom, at home or on a farm.
First Milk worked with Digital Dairy Chain’s innovation broker team to apply for an innovation voucher to kickstart the project which the University of Strathclyde led on.
This project will support First Milk’s aim of bringing over 1000 children onto a farm in the coming years as well as developing an understanding of the co-op’s aims and ambitions.
