Organic Farm School Courses For UK Rural Skills Renaissance

27 April 2009

The Soil Association, supported by the Daylesford Foundation, are launching 300 Organic Farm School courses over the next two years.

The Organic Farm School offers hands-on courses in growing your own food, rearing animals, cooking and rural crafts. Participants will learn practical skills direct from organic farmers, growers and producers with personal experience. Courses include bee-keeping, chicken keeping, vegetable growing, cider making, bread baking, willow weaving, hedge laying and many others.

The Soil Association hopes to reach over 3,000 individuals - from young families and gardening newbies, to allotmenteers and wannabe smallholders - encouraging a reconnection of urban and rural. The courses are not only a fun day out on an organic farm, they offer a chance to rediscover the precious knowledge of our grandparents.
 
Whether you want to skill up and make that step towards making your life more sustainable, learn how to live closer to the land, or get inspired and try something out as a possible career option, the Organic Farm School has the right course for you.

Monty Don, Soil Association president, said:
“The Soil Association’s Organic Farm School is a fantastic opportunity for anyone to come and learn skills from the experts. Each course is an enjoyable day out on an organic farm and a chance to experience the rich satisfaction of country life.”

Patrick Holden, Soil Association director, said:
"As an urban child who went into farming I know first hand the importance of learning these skills direct from the practitioners themselves. Having attended the first hen keeping day at Daylesford I urge everyone to try one of these courses for themselves - these are essential skills for a more sustainable future."

You can view beekeeping, grow your own, seed swap, allotment and smallholding classifieds HERE

Credit: Nick Pringle

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