How Do Young People Perceive and Value the Agri-Food Industry?

A research project exploring the often assumed disconnect and disinterest between young people and the agri-food industry. Does it exist and how can we collectively combat these misconceptions?

Foreword

Carl Edwards, LEAF Director, Education & Public Engagement

It is often said that young people (and society at large) feel disconnected from where their food comes from, place little value on food producers and perceive the agri-food industry as a major contributor to the climate crisis. Similarly, they express minimal interest in pursuing a career in the agri-food industry.

For us, simply assuming and repeating these (what we feel) misinformed comments has to be questioned. This research project set out to challenge these views; to ask whether they exist, and if so, how entrenched are they. Crucially, we set out to explore how as an industry, we can work together to inspire, motivate, and engage future generations in the agri-food industry.

We need to provide young people, with a clear voice to challenge, (or support) our own perceptions. Of course, just examining whether stereotypes are true is not enough. This research project set out to listen to young people about their passions and beliefs in the agri-food system, and most importantly, to provide a platform to share their ideas about how we, as an industry, can better connect, represent, and improve access and opportunities for them.

Overwhelmingly the research findings were positive. Although the young people involved in the project reported ‘little’ or ‘no’ understanding of the agri-food industry and feel ‘disconnected’ with how their food is produced and where it comes from, they care deeply about issues such as sustainability, climate change, environmentally responsible packaging, and the role of food production in addressing the climate crisis. Furthermore, they have trust and believe in the agri-food industry, hold positive views about food producers and place great value on retailers and brands to make the right decisions, which to them, are about climate positive action.

The findings also showed that young people are interested to learn more about the agri-food industry, want to be empowered to make more informed food purchasing decisions and to have a better understanding of how their food is produced and who produces it. In addition, they would like more information about careers in the agri-food industry and would value more opportunities for experiential careers events.

The way our food is produced is key to addressing the climate crisis. It is therefore imperative that future generations are given the opportunity to speak into how we, as an industry, can work together to help increase awareness and understanding of the sector. Critically, we need to find imaginative ways to empower our future consumers, leaders, decision-makers, employers and employees to make climate smart choices, to challenge us, and champion the agri-food sector in the years to come.

Essentially, young people need to be at the heart of developing a roadmap to a more sustainable future, a world that is producing, consuming, and living more sustainably. This extensive piece of research is incredibly important in giving young people ‘a voice’ in how collectively, we convene the leaders of today to implement the actions required for the generations of tomorrow.

McDonald’s is one of the world’s largest restaurant companies. Our first UK restaurant opened in Woolwich, London in October 1974 and today, we operate a network of more than 1,400 quick service restaurants across the UK and Ireland. We employ over 130,000 people and work in partnership with more than 23,000 British and Irish farmers, to combine great tasting food, made from high quality ingredients with service that our customers know and trust. A large proportion of our UK and Ireland restaurant estate is run by franchisees, who play a vital role in ensuring we run sustainable, environmentally conscious restaurants which provide employment opportunities to local people and make a positive contribution to the communities in which they operate.

www.mcdonalds.com

Introduction

This report presents the findings of a 10-month research project, carried out by LEAF Education and supported by McDonald’s and the School of Sustainable Food and Farming, looking at young peoples’ perceptions, values, interest, and understanding of the agri-food industry.

Working with almost 2,500 young people from across the UK, we explored four key themes:

• Sustainable Food Production

• Conscious Consumers

• Diversity and Inclusivity

• Careers

We relied on both quantitative and qualitative data collected through initial research, followed by in-depth interviews and interactive workshops with an additional circa 200 young people on-farm at LEAF Demonstration Farm, Elveden Estates, and during a two-day residential event held at Harper Adams University.

Research Aims

The aim of the research project was to highlight to the agri-food industry what young people believe, think, and are motivated by, across four key themes:

1. Sustainable Food Production

What does this mean to young people, do they want sustainable food choices, what do they believe the agri-food industry is doing to be more sustainable, do they believe brands and supermarkets put sustainability at the heart of what they offer to consumers, and in their own decision-making processes?

2. Conscious Consumers

How do our future generation buy food, what do they think about when purchasing, what is important to them, are they consciously consuming, should they? What motivates them to purchase and what information do they want / need or even disregard?

3. Diversity and Inclusivity

Is the agri-food industry inclusive? How is the industry diverse, could it do better? What are the barriers and opportunities for those wishing to enter? How to we open up opportunities to learn about the agri-food industry, particularly to those who have had no or little exposure to it. How can we provide a system that allows inclusive access?

4. Careers

Are young people interested in a career in the agri-food industry – do they know how to enter it? Have they ever had any information about career opportunities? What are their perceptions of a career in the agri-food industry? What passions do they have and how do we tap into them?

Working alongside LEAF Education Specialists, Harper Adams Senior Lecturers and McDonald’s Progressive Young Farmers, we sought to identify clear recommendations and actions for each of the four themes, for the agri-food industry to listen to, learn from and to action.

The results of this project will help inform our work and ensure that young people can help shape the direction of the agri-food industry so that we harness fresh talent and new thinking that will drive our industry forward.

Over the coming years, we aim to convene and lead a far-reaching programme of promotion, outreach and education to:

• Ensure the agri-food industry listens to young people

• Provide young people with the knowledge and skills to empower them to be informed consumers

• Raise the profile of the agri-food industry to young people and its role in addressing

Research Timeline

August 2022

SeptemberOctober 2022

Results analysed for the first quantitative summary report.

November 2022

On-farm event for 80 young people at Elveden Estate, a LEAF Demonstration Farm and McDonald’s supplier. Young people took part in group discussions allowing a deeperdive into responses to the online survey.

Over 2,200 12 to 19-year-olds surveyed from across the UK as part of an extensive piece of online research covering the four themes: Sustainable Food Production, Conscious Consumers, Diversity and Inclusivity, and Careers.

July 2023

Event held at the House of Lords for key agri-industry stakeholders. Research results were announced with a clear ‘call to action’ for industry leaders, brands and retailers to work together to deliver the recommendations of the research.

April 2023

A residential event held at Harper Adams University by 60 young people and 10 teachers, to develop next steps and identify recommendations for the agri-food industry. This provided the final quantitative and qualitative data.

Research Findings

Industry Collective Action & Next Steps

Sustainable Food Production

Project participants taking part in the research, lacked awareness about what the agri-food industry is doing in its commitment to sustainable food production and the role it plays in wider environmental sustainability. They do not necessarily understand the wider concept of the carbon cycle, but they do recognise that it is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and must be reduced.

When looking in-depth with young people through experiential learning they quickly understood the actions the agri-food industry has been taking and will continue to take to have a positive and sustainable impact on the environment. They recognised the importance of preserving soil health. They think locally produced food is more sustainable and believe that organic meat production is more sustainable than vegetarian and vegan diets. They recognise the agri-food industry as part of a larger global system and that this should be represented and discussed within the context of a more transparent food system.

Next Steps:

Offer young people the opportunity to experience sustainable agriculture first-hand, including on-farm visits.

Industry-wide agreements on labelling, highlighting more sustainably produced products, for example, LEAF Marque.

Provide educational materials to help young people understand what industry professionals are doing to protect soil health and its importance.

Simplify messaging around sustainability to avoid confusion and create a clear message for future consumers.

Conscious Consumers

Young people are not necessarily more aware of their options around sustainable food choices than other generations, but they are keen to know more about those options and how their choices make a difference.

They mostly rely on price to make purchasing decisions, and they believe that sustainable food choices are simply about sustainable packaging. However, they are interested in learning more about how they can take steps to become conscious consumers. They have trust in big brands and supermarkets to make the right decisions to put sustainable food choices on the shelves and on menus. But they expect more transparency from big brands and supermarkets about the environmental impact of their food and think that environmentally friendly products should not carry a premium price. Interestingly, they see food produced in Britain as solely local rather than being produced to higher standards.

Next Steps:

Encourage big brands and supermarkets to talk directly with young people about sustainable food options and to clarify the decisions they are making to ensure positive action is being taken before giving consumers a choice.

Offer experiential learning opportunities to help young people understand the entire food supply chain from farm to fork. Retailers and brands need to find imaginative ways such as through environmental labelling, in order to drive more climate positive consumer decisions.

Ensure clarity around what constitutes sustainable food and make clear the commitments made by big brands and supermarkets in that area.

Conduct an extended research project (5 year +) to track the longterm changes that young people make after receiving the appropriate information about consumer choices and environmental awareness.

Hold discussions with young people as future consumers to work on environmental labelling and involve them in the process to identify their preferences.

Run a consumer-focused campaign that sustainable food is affordable and does not need to ‘cost the earth’.

Diversity and Inclusivity

Young people generally perceive the agri-food industry as welcoming and diverse. However, some believe that owning land is a prerequisite for entering the industry, creating a misconception that it is insular. A small number held the view that buying local does not represent all communities, making it difficult for some to participate in the conscious consumer movement. Young people understand that the agri-food industry is global and that global perspectives should be represented within the sector, both in-school and through wider on-farm experiences.

Next Steps:

Provide practical steps and guides on how to enter the industry and reinforce the key message, that the industry is open to everyone.

Develop a National Competition for 16-18-year-olds, offering various avenues for entering the industry including apprenticeships and university programmes, for aspiring entrants without owning land or prior family farming experience. This builds on the hugely successful LEAF National Competition for 14–16-year-olds where in 2022, 66% of finalists then went on to apply for or attend land-based colleges and universities.

Promote voices from around the world and from within diverse communities, responsible for supplying the UK market with their produce.

Careers

Young people are generally positive about careers in the agri-food industry, describing possible career opportunities as ‘rewarding’, ‘well paid’, ‘resilient’, and ‘fulfilling’. They also recognise that the agri-food industry offers careers that can have a positive impact and are important for the environment. But they tend to lack specific information about the career opportunities available and the practical steps on how to enter the agri-food industry. They choose their future career/next steps by the age of 16/17, but they do not have a good understanding of what a career in the agri-food industry looks like – what roles there are, land-based colleges and universities and what career progression is available.

They require further guidance on how to link their school subjects to agriculture-related careers. They express a clear interest in work experience placements and attending onfarm experiential learning events to explore different career paths in agriculture. They also ask for greater links to industry experts in their professional setting or in school – and not at career events. When asked to identify the ‘most interesting careers in the agri-food sector’, environmental scientist, farm vet, and chef were common responses.

Next Steps:

Offer work experience placements to provide young people with practical insights into the different career options in agriculture.

Provide clear guidance on how to place school subjects at the forefront of links to agriculture-related careers and not vice versa.

Ask industry professionals, agriculture colleges, and apprentices to talk directly with young people and share their experiences and knowledge.

Develop a programme for young people to join during their sixth form with different agricultural industry placements offered – a few days, weekends, or during school holidays to provide them with varied experiences and touchpoints.

Offer teacher training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for teachers on career guidance to support them in providing the right information to their students.

Research Findings

Retailers & Brands Actions & Next Steps

Retailers and brands to communicate their sustainability commitments, across their supply chains. To include clear corporate and public facing communications, targets and updates in-store/restaurants.

Wider information needed on the impact retailers and brands are having to deliver their biodiversity / nature ambitions. This needs to move beyond issues such as reducing plastic and planting trees; whilst these commitments must continue, consumers are increasingly expecting more and are demanding greater evidence of environmental sustainability in food sourcing.

Retailers and brands to develop new ranges in store, to showcase their sustainability commitments and provide opportunities for consumers to ‘make a difference’ through their purchasing decisions.

Young people trust retailers and brands but they are increasingly scrutinising their commitments and want to learn more about their impact. Previous reports highlight young people want to have a global impact and are not focused entirely on local issues. They need to know that as conscious consumers, they are making the right decision for the greater good of the planet.

Develop industry leading extended research project (5 year +) to track the long-term changes that young people / consumers make after receiving the appropriate information about consumer choices and environmental awareness. This will allow measurement of long-term behavioural change.

Next Steps

Our role is to ensure that we have a future generation who are better informed than ever before; better informed as future (conscious) consumers, decision makers, leaders, employees and employers.

It has been incredibly rewarding to work with so many young people over the course of this research and to have the opportunity to listen to them, to provide them with a platform to share their perceptions, personal experiences and be completely open and honest in their responses. We thank everyone involved in this research. By working together, we can deliver powerful and imaginative ways to reach future generations. Highlighting the significance of our sector in bringing about more sustainable, global food and farming systems as well as the many career opportunities available to them.

This is an exciting time for all of us. We encourage you to pledge your support as we strive for a strong and resilient agri-food industry.

Appendices

Demographics

The breakdown of those we worked with and voices we sought to represent.

Across the whole of the UK, but most popular locations were:

24% London

12% West Midlands 10% South East England 10% North West England

61% White

16% Asian

13% Black

13% Mixed heritage

For reference breakdown of England & Wales’ ethnicity stats in 2020: 86% white, 7.5% Asian, 3.3% Black, 2.2% mixed, 1% other

2% Other

Please note where specific demographics have been highlighted it is due to there being a statistically significant difference to the average presented (i.e. a difference over 5%). Where different demographics have not been highlighted then it is to be assumed that there is no statistically significant difference in results.

Appendices

General Understanding & Opinions of the Agri-Food Industry:

An overview of the background understanding / awareness and values from those we worked with and voices we sought to represent.

65% never studied agri-food related topics before

75% believe that agriculture and food education should play a larger part in the school curriculum

74% very likely to / might choose a GCSE in agriculture

4 key ways that young people would most likely access to find out more about the agri-food industries:

1. Visit a farm (50%)

2. Access a 30 second video online (47%)

3. Talk to someone from the agri-food industry (35%)

4. Visit a website (30%)

NB: Vlogs, Blogs and video calls were of less interest (<14%)

When asked what the main function of a farm should be respondents said:

75% producing food

66% looking after the natural environment

42% rearing animals

41% generating energy from renewable sources

40% helping to tackle climate change

NB: Rewilding the countryside and using science had a much lower focus (< 28%) Female response was 10% higher than male response on looking after the natural environment and tackling climate change.

We asked how much do you agree / disagree with the following statements:

63% Agreed / strongly agreed that young people should be more interested in how food is produced and where food comes from.

(NB: 32% somewhat agreed and only 5% disagreed)

Almost half of the respondents think scientists should focus their efforts on the following to improve agricultural land use and food supply:

1. Making healthy food available for all

2. Managing water use

3. Welfare of farm animals

Whilst more than one third of respondents felt the following should be seen as the priority:

1. Sustainable and organic farming

2. Growing enough food to feed an increasing population

3. Reducing greenhouse gasses from food production

Far fewer respondents felt that the following should be a priority (less than one quarter):

1. Increase the harvest of home-grown crops

2. Appearance of food (shape, colour, consistency)

NB: male/ female responses differ to this question in the break down and when looking at gender specifically, males would like to see a focus on improving soil health over animal welfare in the key priority areas (almost half of respondents).

The key areas of agri-innovation (new activity that results in new goods or services or improves existing goods or services) that young people would like to see more of on future farms are:

1. Farming methods which regenerate soils (make them healthier)

2. Energy crops (grown to replace use of fossil fuels for heat, power & transport)

3. Use of agroforesty alongside arable and livestock on farm

4. Increasing diversity of crop types

5. Soil sensors

NB: GMcrops / robots / drones / autonomy are all very low down the list

Male - female responses differed greatly, with female responses stating that closer links between schools and farms were their third most popular answer for wanting to see more from farmers in the future and generally came out as a % total as much higher than the number one choice for males. Female respondents generally agree with one another on key responses, whereas male responses are much more varied and bring the average down.

Over one third of young people would like to see better links between farms and schools to support their understanding as a better way to connect with farming and food production in the future.

83% agree / strongly agree that science and innovation will underpin future farming, producing high quality food and an environment fit for future generations.

The impact from the Youth Advisory Panel residential at Harper Adams University:

Has your opinion of the agri-food industry changed as a result of the residential?

83% Yes

10% No

7% No reply

Was this a positive change?

(Inferred from the comments that followed the question)

A positive change was seen in 100% of those that responded yes. Those that said ‘no’, either gave no response or that they already had knowledge.

Overall, the key benefits that young people gained from the residential were:

• Appreciation of careers – the diversity of careers available:

“It is not just a farmer.”

• That our food supply is very complex:

“That there is so many different compartments to it and that it’s all very complex.”

• Young people were interested in the ‘sourcing’ of food, as this term came up within the responses of 32% of the students. Interestingly, it was not a term we focused on during our workshops.

“I have a deeper understanding as to how things are sourced and that agriculture has more to it than farming.”

We asked young people as a result of the residential what would you tell people who didn’t know anything about the agri-food industry?

“It is the backbone of our society.”

“It is a really big industry and is nothing like the stereotypes.”

40% of respondents highlighted how expensive it is to produce food and set up a farming business, and that these costs are potentially causing increased food prices which might be prohibitive to some consumers.

Appendices

The Four Research Themes

Sustainable Food Production

60% of young people believe that the agriculture industry should focus on reducing carbon

87% of young people believe that soil is an essential factor in sustainable agriculture

63% of young people believe that local produce is more sustainable

36% of young people believe organic meat production is more sustainable than vegetarian and vegan options

75% of young people would like to learn more about protecting soil

When I purchase food I think about…

1. Price (68%)

Male:

Female:

What other information should food labels give (besides current nutritional information):

1. Environmental sustainability (66%)

2. Carbon cost (41%)

3. Food miles (37%)

(NB: Environmental sustainability 58% Male, 74% Female)

If I had the above information, would I make a food choice based on the environmental impact of that food?

84% - Yes

NB: Comments focused on: wider environmental sustainability of food and impact on nature/biodiversity, followed by food miles as something that should appear on labels and then the carbon footprint of a product.

Though young people agreed on this point, they also commented that they would not wish to see a drastic increase in the cost of food should food be labelled as more sustainable – a fear that sustainable food is not affordable

Those that responded ‘no’ primarily commented that they felt brands / supermarkets should already be making those decisions and that it should not be down to the consumer to choose – i.e. why would there be food that is not sustainable on offer?

91% of young people believe our individual food choices are important in some way in the fight against climate change.

89% of young people believe society should care where its food comes from.

89% believe that UK food producers are likely / very likely to care for the environment more than their counterparts from across the world (7% think less likely).

NB: Interesting to note that there is no great divide between rural/urban areas of the UK in their responses nor a difference in gender, ethnicity or age when compared to the average; 92% in the West Midlands and South East England for example compared with 86% London / 87% East of England.

Conscious Consumers

68% of young people say that price motivates their food purchases

34% of young people believe that food packaging is the best way to understand sustainable food

56% of young people recognise that buying local foods has a positive environmental impact

65% of young people believe that supermarkets and big brands are making sustainability choices on their behalf

56% of young people believe that higher prices indicate higher standards of sustainability

74% of young people would like to learn more about sustainable food choices

53% of young people felt that retailers and big brands provided them with food choices that were sustainable

65% note that supermarkets and big brands do make sustainable choices on their behalf

Respondents ranked how useful different ideas were for inspiring, engaging and motivating young people to be more conscious consumers:

1. Experiential learning – seeing how our food is produced

2. Campaigns - making sustainable food affordable food – it doesn’t have to cost the earth!

3. Food labelling and youth discussions - being made aware of how environmentally sustainable a food product is

4. Talking directly to professionals from the agri-food industry

5. Through classroom / in-school work- linking more of the curriculum to food and farming

NB: 100% of respondents were positive to each of the suggestions, minimum ranking 4/5.

How do respondents feel retailers and big brands (though responses were focused on supermarkets) were providing them with sustainable options:

Positive responses:

• Recyclable packaging – everyone does it now Recycling in store

• Fair trade logos

• It is a good way to educate people in supermarkets

Negative responses:

They just want to make more money, so don’t care how its produced

• They don’t explain how food is produced at all

They use their own logos and not logos that mean sustainable food production –not joined up

• It’s simple things that are easy, it’s not moving things on

How should supermarkets and big brands communicate with young people / future consumers / current consumers on their sustainability promises?

• Use sustainable food logos (preferably green ones)

Go into schools and communities and educate people on how food is produced

• Highlight the efficiencies of sustainable food systems

• Explain how they source sustainable food

• Make sustainable food more colourful and immediately stand out as a choice

• Produce maps to highlight where products are coming from to understand the distance travelled and to make informed choices

A sustainable food aisle

• TV campaign on how they are giving consumers sustainable food choices

• Supermarkets to have clear targets which they share in their stores and report on where they are at – e.g. reducing the amount of water being used to produce food

• Meet the farmer posters

We asked if these interventions varied on age – very few commented on this specifically. Where they did it was on whether to use social media to inform the consumer or not. Though there was no consensus, more felt that social media was not the right platform to inform consumers on their sustainability promises.

Can you think of supermarkets and brands that have good examples of providing sustainable food options for you as a consumer?*

46% - No

38% - Yes

16% - No response

*Interesting to note that whilst 53% of young people feel that retailers and brands provided them with sustainable food choices far fewer could then give specific examples.

Please share examples of where you think you have been provided with sustainable food options and explain what these are:

• McDonald’s – TV adverts, Free Range Adverts

Co-op – bananas are fair trade, but ‘pricey and limited’ sustainable options in stores

• Tesco – Honey highlighted as sustainable and provide ‘some choices’

• M&S – free range adverts on TV

Cadbury’s – fair trade logo

• Restaurants – tell you where the food is from and if it is local

We asked those young people who attended the residential at Harper Adams University (and who prepared for the 5 weeks before the residential with in-school workshops / work booklets), ‘will your behaviour change moving forwards?’

64% - Yes

13% - No

23% - No reply

Reasons explained: Yes to behaviour change:

No to behaviour change:

• I won’t change what I eat

It will be hard to change habits quickly

• I haven’t learnt enough

• Be aware of the information needed to make future food choices that are sustainable

• Would like to buy more sustainable products if society and costs allows this

• Will scrutinise food choices and products available in store and restaurants

• Career choices changed

• Look for logos

• Change what I will eat

Diversity & Inclusivity

42% of young people do not believe that farming and food-related careers are accessible for people who do not own land

84% of young people believe that the agri-food industry celebrates diversity through food culture and diverse products available through retailers and brands

66% of young people believe that buying local does not represent all communities

67% of young people think that supermarkets and brands represent diverse food options

52% of young people would like to learn more about how to enter the agri-food industry

Is the food and farming industry a welcoming industry to new entrants from diverse communities? 62% - Yes

Areas of Scotland, Wales, West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, London and NorthWest England are much more positive with some areas in those regions reaching 75% positive (Yes) response.

North-West England overall is aligned with the average though it is notable some areas such as York and Hull are much lower at 55%. Equally South-West England and South-East England (minus London) are 55% and 59% positive (Yes).

When broken-down by ethnicity the responses to this question:

66% of mixed / multiple ethnic groups - Yes

65% Asian - Yes

62% White - Yes

62% other ethnic groups - Yes

57% Black – Yes

Comments:

‘Yes’ broadly aligned to:

“Brands and supermarkets look for diverse voice to increase / improve their products.”

• “Farmers produce for diverse communities”

• “Welcoming for all and anyone as they don’t have enough people entering”

‘No’ broadly aligned to:

• “Cannot enter the industry because I don’t own land”

“Farms are passed down in generations and my family don’t have a farm”

• “Practically how can I be welcomed, don’t know how to enter the industry”

Looking at the misconceptions around the academic level of those who are more likely to enter the agri-food industry,we asked the following questions:

The key subjects that agriculture links to (almost half of respondents selected these subjects):

1. Environmental Science

2. Biology

3. Food Preparation and Nutrition

4. Chemistry

5. Engineering

More work to be done on improving the understanding between the agricultural industry and technology, maths and business studies and computer science (all below 15%).

Qualifications that young people believe you need to enter the agricultural industry (rank order):

1. GCSEs

2. A combination of qualifications

3. No qualifications needed

4. Apprenticeships

5. A Levels

6. Degree Level

Less than 2 in 10 young people thought you did not need any qualifications to join the agricultural industry.

Comments highlighted the fact that the industry is seen as welcoming to all abilities, with a

Young people were also questioned specifically whether farmers are likely to have a degree - 52% believed that farmers do.

65% career in agriculture is very diverse in the skills needed and the types of learners and abilities that can enter our industry.

77% of young people stated that they believe farming is a very technical and highly skilled job.

76% agricultural degree would give them a wide range of transferable skills and broad knowledge base.

82% of young people still felt that they need help in understanding the practical steps of how to have a career in the agri-food industry.

From the residential held at Harper Adams University some questions and comments were raised:

How can I go to Harper Adams university? What qualifications do I need?

How do small businesses get funding for a business idea in the agri-food industry, when they are not already from it?

• I really enjoyed staying in the accommodation and university was not something I would have ever thought about, having this experience has made me think that it could be for me, someone from Birmingham who has not been too far from the city before.

• I felt that in the workshops more people of colour should be included in presenting as it made me feel out of place at times and it would be good to hear from voices around the world.

Careers in the Agri-Food Industry

How likely are young people to consider a job in agriculture?

19% likely

34% maybe but need more information

31% unlikely

17% very unlikely

Comments given for the reasons above (categorised and in order of most common response):

Likely:

• Majority focus on the fact that their career can have a positive impact on the environment

• Passion for food, local produce, the outdoors

An interesting and varied role

• Good pay and benefits in terms of mental health and wellbeing

Unlikely:

• Not interested in the sector

• No knowledge of the sector has ever been shared with them

• Have already decided on their career (NB these comments are mainly from 18–19-year-olds)

• I don’t have the skill set / not smart enough / need a science background to enter

• Pay too low

• Too lazy to work in agriculture / prefer not to be physical

Maybe:

• Need more information to make an informed choice

• Would like to help the environment through their career choice

• Sounds an enjoyable and varied job

• I don’t own my own land and don’t have family members to pass on a farm so how can I enter?

When asked, 74% of students stated they receive careers advice in schools.

Have you ever had information on a career in agriculture?

64% No

18% Not sure

18% Yes

NB: Where yes, this information is predominantly from family, friends, and geography teachers. Careers guidance is barely mentioned as is wider information online / websites etc. Though a handful of young people mention they have seen ‘something’ on Instagram or TikTok platform.

How can we change this lack of awareness?

1. Experiential learning – on-farm / in classroom

2. Curriculum links

3. Work experience – short (week / month)

4. Talking to professionals from the agri-food industry

5. Work experience – long (year-long whilst studying / apprenticeships)

NB: 100% of respondents were positive to each of the suggestions, minimum ranking 4/5.

If you were given the job as an advisor, to encourage young people to enter the agri-food industry, what would you suggest?

Answers are themed and collated as below (note students made multiple recommendations)

• Fund schools to do farm visits and land-based colleges / universities (71%)

• Make it a compulsory subject at school (

• Agricultural residentials (42%)

• Teach people about food labelling – what to look out for (37%)

51% of respondents would like to know more about what farmers do with 62% of respondents also stating that farmers play an important role in their daily lives.

Young people seem to recognise the importance of the agri-food industry, but there is clearly more work that needs to be done and scaled up in educating them about the roles available in order to interest them.

Where would you look to find out more information on careers in Agriculture and Food Industries?

1. Visit a farm (43%)

2. Ask a teacher (39%)

3. Ask a careers advisor (29%)

NB: Interesting to note that visiting a farm is also the priority for young people finding out more information about British Agriculture when not looking at careers too. Also, social media was very low down on the list for young people to access information on careers.

We also asked the participants about the websites they use to find out information about careers (whilst less than a third highlighted a website as a useful resource for career information). Google was named by 90% of respondents and YouTube by 60%. No specific websites were mentioned by anyone of any age, including wider career websites showing perhaps a lack of knowledge on careers more widely.

What would be the most useful for you when considering a career in the land-based sector?

1. Talking to someone with an agri / land-based career (40%)

2. Work experience in the industry (30%)

3. Talking to a careers advisor (20%)

4. Talking to a teacher (10%)