School children are being asked to design their own food and farming products in a competition run by the NFU.
The ‘Farmvention’ contest between schools has been launched ahead of the next school year to give teachers time to plan but applications will not open until 6 September.
According to the NFU, the competition will get pupils to think about the everyday challenges facing farmers in Britain, while also engaging them with the STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and maths.
Participants can design one of three things: a tractor of the future; an environment for a flock of 100 laying hens; or a new snack product that uses one or more of the following British foods: milk, beef, beetroot and oats.
Each challenge will be supported by curriculum-linked resources created by the NFU in partnership with the Association for Science Education (ASE).
The winning school will be announced at the House of Commons during British Science and Engineering Week, with the chance to win the grand prize experience of having the school turn into a farm for the day.
Other prizes for shortlisted schools include fully unded farm visits, £600 to spend on robotics products for the school, class packs of data loggers and chef visits to the school.
NFU president Minette Batters said: “Farmvention is a great opportunity for children to engage with the national curriculum in a new and exciting way, and at the same time learn about where and how their food is produced.
“Every day farmers and growers in the UK face numerous challenges and so a major part of the Farmvention competition includes thinking of potential ways to overcome them.
She added: “It’s really exciting when you think about the skills and knowledge that can be developed from this competition and I can’t wait to see what Britain’s young inventors come up with.”
