Smartphone scheme brings farms into the classroom

A scheme in which farmers make video calls into school lessons to engage children in farming and rural affairs is set to expand after it was awarded charitable status. 

The Farmer Time scheme, which reaches about 25,000 children across 1,000 schools, was established by Peterborough farmer Tom Martin in 2017. Farmers make brief video calls to classes every few weeks, and Mr Martin said children were “fascinated” to hear directly from those involved in land management and food production. 

The scheme targets children in the key stages of two to five, and Mr Martin has expressed a desire for more farmers and teachers to get involved. “It’s not biology or the basics of science — we can get into genetics, we can talk about maths, we touch on history — but really it’s all focusing around that farming year,” he commented. 

“Using smartphone technology, instead of bringing the classroom to the farm, we bring the farm right into the classroom.” 

With its new charitable status, Farmer Time has been able to add trustees and business and educational experts. There is scope for similar schemes to be rolled out for gamekeepers and gillies to teach youngsters about fieldsports. 

Do you think this is a good idea? Let us know at shootingtimes@twsgroup.com