The East of England SFFS and Food and Drink Industry Strategy joint action plan committed partners to improve the links between agriculture, land use, food and the consumer, and improve the image of food and farming as a career.
A number of regional and local initiatives have been set in motion within the region to produce educational material showing the impact of food 'from plough to plate'. Much of this activity has been aimed at schoolchildren, but some has been tailored for the wider general public.
Eat East - Nearer, Fresher, Better is a two year campaign sponsored by the East of England Development Agency which aims to help regional food and drink producers increase sales, profits and market share regionally, nationally and internationally.
The campaign will tap into the public's growing concern around environmental issues such as food miles, as well as their increasing interest in seasonality and local foods - a national study in 2005 found that three quarters of the population want to buy local produce.
Farm Sunday is a campaign by LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming). Set up in 2006 nearly 300 farmers took part in Farm Sunday and welcomed family, friends and neighbours onto their farms to show what they do to produce wholesome food with environmental care. Each event was different and many included activities such as sheep shearing, treasure hunts, sheep dog demonstrations, mini farmers markets, trailer rides, ice cream production, wildlife walks, farm picnics and rare breed displays. The event has become a permanent fixture and this years Farm Sunday took place on 1 June 2008.
Why Farming Matters is a campaign by the National Farmers Union (NFU) launched in December 2006 to explain why farming is becoming more, not less, important to 21st century Britain. The campaign is built around a major report of the same name and it is intended to de-bunk the notion that mainstream food production can safely be allowed to migrate to other parts of the world, leaving a dwindling number of British farmers and growers to focus on niche markets and diversification.
The Year of Food and Farming was initiated by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Department for Childrens, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department of Health (DH) to bring the key messages into schools, and to get children out into the countyside to see the effects farming and land management have on the landscape.
