The upcoming Year of Food and Farming is one of the most positive moves to be implemented for some time, aimed squarely as it is at the consumers of tomorrow - children.

Countless studies lately have shown an alarming number of young people believe things as varied as potatoes grow on trees; pasta, bread and even tomato ketchup are vegetables; and frozen peas are not.

Sure, we tend to highlight the most extreme examples, but it is indicative of the wider problem of a lack of understanding of food provenance.

One of the most positive things about the Year of Food and Farming is that it seems to have captured the imagination of a wide cross section of the industry, with everyone from the NFU, trade associations and grower groups down to individual companies and schools getting involved.

The recent farm open days were also a really positive initiative, and the industry is making all the right moves in terms of reconnecting with the public.

For when you actually show a child how a plant grows in practice and where food really comes from, they almost always find it incredibly stimulating.