Over a quarter of a million people visited farms during this year’s Open Farm Sunday, new figures show.
Acording to LEAF, of the 261,000 visitors, more than half had never attended an Open Farm Sunday event before and one in five had never been to a working farm.
The theme of this year’s event was Discover the World of Farming, and a poll of visitors revealed 88 per cent felt they had learnt something new about the industry.
For the first time, one in four farmers hosted some kind of Open Farm Sunday event this year, with events ranging from small farm walks to large open events – the biggest attracting over 8,000 visitors on one weekend.
New resources developed in conjuction with the BBSRC and John Deere were also used by a quarter of hosts to highlight the science and technology behind modern farming.
LEAF said nearly a third of visitors found out about Open Farm Sunday via Facebook, with #OFS16 becoming the second-most trending topic on Twitter that day. The event secured 1,000 mentions in the national media.
Caroline Drummond, LEAF chief executive, said: “Open Farm Sunday is an excellent example of how, working together, we can help people understand what farming delivers – from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear and the medicines we need, as well as the vital work farmers do to enhance the environment.
“As the agricultural industry faces a new era following the EU referendum, this knowledge is a critical step in helping us deliver a more sustainable future for everyone and secure the funding and support needed.”
See next week’s FPJ, out 12 August, for an interview with Caroline Drummond on the new five-year strategy for LEAF
No comments yet