Seven students have arrived from developing countries to continue their agricultural education in this country.
As part of the Marshal Papworth Fund, the students - who include two from G's Fresh West Africa Farms in Senegal - will work towards a BTEC certificate in agriculture whichwill enable them to return to their home countries and share sustainable farming techniques with their local communities, following the charity’s motto ‘growing out of hunger.’
Alongside the Senegalese, this year's students also hail from Kenya and Burkina Faso, with the group taking the tally of students to have taken part in the scheme to 184. The charity relies on donations from individuals and businesses in order to run.
The 10-week short course will run for the second time at Moulton College in Northamptonshire. Classroom studies will run alongside field visits and cultural trips to Ely, London and agricultural country shows to enhance their learning and whole experience.
Marshal Papworth Fund coordinator Sandra Lauridsen said: “We know from studies that the impact these students can create when they return home is huge, with one of our alumni having set up a food security project supporting 10,000 poor rural households in Ghana following his studies in the UK.
'So with every intake of students the committee and all of its supporters and partners are immensely excited about reaching even more rural communities. It has been a challenging 12 months trying to secure the necessary visas for this year’s students, but meeting them all and seeing how excited they are to learn over the next 10 weeks has made it all worthwhile.”
