A RECENT Farming and Countryside Education survey has identified disturbing gaps in children's knowledge of food and the countryside, prompting a warning that these will widen unless remedial action is taken.

Part face-to-face and part internet-based, the research was carried out in March with 1,300 11 to16-year-olds from secondary schools in England, Scotland and Wales.

The survey highlighted a lack of understanding of the balanced food plate. While most children were familiar with the concept, many struggled to identify all five food groupings; most cited ready meals and take-aways as their favourites.

The research also showed children understood the countryside had a value because of the clean air, and pleasant surroundings, not because it was a place to live or that it provided essential resources.

Some had never visited a farmers' market and did not understand the concept of cutting out the middleman to buy directly from the farmer, as opposed to the supermarket.

Head of education for FACE, Bill Graham, called for heightened support for increased farm visits for children and greater awareness in schools about food, the countryside and farming, with farmers and growers providing the information and acting as ambassadors for the industry.

He said: "The situation is like a time bomb. Things will only worsen if these areas are not prioritised into the national curriculum.

"The commonly held belief within farming is that the average worker is 58. To interest new, younger entrants, even initial basic knowledge about life in rural communities would be valuable."

Through its field team of eight regional consultants, each with a background in education, FACE offers workshops and seminars for teachers and farmers to encourage co-operative working. Support and advice is provided for farmers new to the concept of school visits.