Food and Farming question from Richard Elgie, Newent fruit grower

At the Future of Local Food and Farming debate that took place at Newent Community School on 3 April 2009, Richard Elgie, a fruit grower with three sons none of whom are interested in growing, put the following question to the panel:

Can the panel suggest ways of encouraging new, energetic young people to come into the industry, given that incomes are so low?  Forty years ago, the agricultural college I attended had 100 students studying fruit and agriculture.  Now the college is taken up by students studying amenity gardening and leisure.

Listen to an audio recording of the question and answer.

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