Luke Abblitt volunteers as an NFU Education Farmers for Schools Ambassador, a role which has seen him speak to more than 1,500 schoolchildren about British food and farming over the past two years.
He had the privilege of taking part in the ‘Lessons at 10’ event where he spoke to primary school pupils at 10 Downing Street, in October last year, and was named regional winner of the prestigious NFU Meurig Raymond Award in 2023 for his work promoting farming to the public.
Luke, who grows potatoes, sugar beet, wheat and barley at his farm near Ramsey, close to Peterborough, said: “I really enjoy going into schools, talking about what I do, and the children are often very engaged and interested, asking all sorts of questions.
“I think it’s really important that children understand where their food comes from, that it doesn’t just come from the supermarket, and to have a bit of an understanding about what farmers do. They are the consumers of the future.
“I get a lot of enjoyment out of it myself. When I see the children so interested in farming it makes me come away feeling inspired and reminds me that farmers across the country do great work feeding the nation and looking after the environment.”
Luke hopes his talks will help to inspire farmers of the future and support the NFU’s work in promoting careers in farming to young people.
A joint industry report published in autumn 2021 estimated there were 500,000 vacancies across the food and farming industry.
Labour availability is a significant barrier for many businesses across the sector and is restricting the opportunities for growth and often resulting in the contraction of food production.
To help tackle this, the NFU runs several projects to promote farming careers to young people, including the Farmers For Schools programme and the NFU Student and Young Farmer Ambassador Programme, which helps to give farmers aged 30 and under a strong voice in shaping the future of the agricultural industry.
"I think it’s really important that children understand where their food comes from, that it doesn’t just come from the supermarket."
Farmers for Schools Ambassador Luke Abblitt
Luke said: “I think the NFU Education team does a fantastic job.
“They come up with so many great ideas about how to teach people about food and farming in a fun and engaging way.
“I would highly recommend becoming a Farmers for Schools Ambassador to anyone thinking about getting involved – it’s such a rewarding experience and it feels great to be doing my bit.”
Find out more about becoming a Farmers for Schools Ambassador.