SPECIAL: Olivia Shave - "I see a critical gap in our education system – a gap that does not prepare young people for challenges such as food insecurity, climate change and sustainability"

I started this petition with a clear goal: to urge the Government to fully embed food, farming and sustainable practices in our national curriculum.

As someone deeply connected to agriculture, I see a critical gap in our education system – a gap that does not prepare young people for challenges such as food insecurity, climate change and sustainability.

This gap not only undermines students' understanding of the food they eat, but also leaves them disconnected from the systems that sustain us all.

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Curriculum

Currently, the curriculum barely covers food systems, farming or environmental sustainability. While students might briefly learn about nutrition or climate change, they lack any cohesive understanding of how food production, health and environmental stewardship are interconnected.

This is a missed opportunity at a time when one in 10 UK households faces food insecurity.

Addressing food insecurity requires widespread understanding of sustainable food systems, a critical area of knowledge missing in education.

The Government's curriculum review has already acknowledged that the current system is ‘not working'. Yet, despite this, only superficial adjustments are being proposed and there is no opportunity for the radical changes that today's young people need.

We need more than incremental tweaks. This review should be a chance to design a forward-thinking curriculum that gives young people practical skills and insights into food production, sustainable farming and the importance of local food systems.

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Food

Maslow's hierarchy of needs shows us that food and security form the foundation of human well-being. However, our curriculum largely ignores this, leaving young people unprepared for the real-life challenges posed by food security, environmental threats and climate change.

Food education is not just about health – it is about community resilience, environmental responsibility and the foundation of sustainable development.

Agriculture contributes more than £120 billion annually to the UK economy and supports millions of jobs, yet it stays undervalued in policy and absent in education.

By not instructing young people about food and farming, we are missing an opportunity to show them the immense value of the agricultural sector and to inspire future generations to contribute to it.

This petition is a call for more than just reform; it is a demand for a curriculum that reflects the interconnected, sustainable future we need. Together, we can drive meaningful change that helps us all.

PETITION INFORMATION

Visit: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700029