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An organic demonstration farm set up to support Cornwall’s
farmers and growers is proving an enormous hit with Cornwall’s youngest
generation.
The Organic Studies Centre – an Objective One-funded
project set up by Duchy College in July 2001 – has been hosting
visits by children from local primary schools to the college’s organic
demonstration farm at Coswinsawsin, near Camborne.
But interest in visits to the demonstration farm, which
was set up in 1999, has far outstripped expectations.
The Organic Studies Centre had originally aimed to attract
30 to 40 schoolchildren to their farm activity days in the first year
but instead had 141, including visits by schools from Portreath, Penponds,
St Keverne and Leedstown.
Project leader Dr Jean Burke said that visiting children
have been taken on walks around the farm to look at crops like wheat,
sugar beet, potatoes and cauliflowers – as well as being given an
opportunity to see what ‘creepy crawlies’ they could catch
using jam jars.
Dr Burke said: “The children absolutely loved this
activity and it helped us to show them that some creatures help the farmer
and some are pests.”
Other activities included looking at what parts of different
plants are used, discovering what makes up soil, learning about acidity
and alkalinity by doing PH tests and taking home seeds to see what they
will grow into. The visits also involved a test whereby the children collected
samples of different crops and then had to guess what food products they
are used to create.
Dr Burke added: “We received tremendous feedback
from schools as teachers found the day was great fun for the children.
“The children learnt a lot as the day was very hands-on.
Teachers told us that it gave them a lot of material and information to
use in the classroom for weeks to come. From our point of view, the initiative
was very valuable as it helps raise awareness of where food comes from
and allows children practical experience of being out on a farm.”
Dr Burke said that the visits tied in very well
with various aspects of the school curriculum as they provided links with
biology, chemistry, geography, art, mathematics and writing skills.
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Editors notes:
Organic
Studies Initiative
The Organic Studies Initiative began work in July 2001 and the project
will continue until the end of 2006. The total project value is
£972,199, with £350,122 being provided through Objective
One from the European Agricultural Guidance & Guarantee Fund
(EAGGF) and the same amount from DEFRA.
The aim of the project is to establish the Organic
Studies Centre to deliver a cross-sector, near-field market trials
and demonstration programme for organic agriculture and horticulture
in order to support Cornwall’s organic sector and assist in
improving farm business viability and competitiveness. Highlights
of the project so far include:
July – December 2001
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Mailshot indicates 82% of Cornish farmers on centre’s
organic database interested in taking part in on-farm studies |
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Courses run on nutrition of the organic dairy cow and homeopathy
in collaboration with the National Vocational Training Scheme |
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Research papers presented to international organic conference
in Athens |
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Farm walks held at Duchy College’s Coswinsawsin Organic
Demonstration Farm – one generating full-page coverage
in Farmers’ Weekly |
January – December
2002
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Moved into new office on Duchy College’s
Rosewarne Campus |
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Day courses, attended by up to 40 Cornish farmers at a time
(funded through Objective One), run on various aspects of organic
farming – including soil fertility, crop rotation, homeopathy |
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Research papers presented to UK conference on organic farming |
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Group of Cornish farmers taken on visit to organic research
farm in Aberystwyth |
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Farmer survey by interviewing all organic farmers on one-to-one
basis to collect information on status of organic farming in
the Objective One region |
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Publication of first bi-annual technical bulletin for farmers,
including results of all trials and developments |
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Start of work on national programme of organic trials and
developments |
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Studies conducted into organic table bird production, cauliflower
and potato varieties, green waste composting, pest control via
garlic-based products, development of improved guidance on the
use of fertility building crops in organic farming and provision
of a health & welfare benchmarking service and analysis
of the influence of health plans and medicine use on organic
farms. |
European Agricultural Guidance
and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF)
EAGGF is one of the four funds that make up the Objective One Programme
for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, which is making £314
million available to support the local economy between 2000 and
2006.
EAGGF aims to:
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Help preserve the link between
diversified farming and the land. |
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Improve and support the competitiveness
of agriculture as a key activity in rural areas. |
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Ensure the diversification of the economy
in rural areas. |
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Help to keep thriving communities in
rural areas. |
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Preserve and improve the environment,
the landscape and the rural heritage. |
Contact:
Dr Jean Burke
Organic Studies Centre
01209 722148
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Jason Clark
Communications Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Tel: 01872 241379
Fax: 01872 241388
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| jason@dclark.co.uk |
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