The call is going out from the LEP to students who it hopes will join a Student Land Army to bring in the harvest.
Help us to the feed the nation! That’s the call going out from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership to students who it hopes will join a Student Land Army to bring in the harvest.
The LEP is calling on students to support national food security through local food supply chains by volunteering to work on British farms during the COVID-19 pandemic this summer.
The UK is rapidly approaching peak summer harvest season and 80,000 seasonal workers are needed from the end of May to help bring in the UK harvest on British farms.
The LEP has issued a rallying cry targeted at sixth-formers and students at universities and colleges across Lincolnshire to create a Student Land Army made up of young people on their summer break from education.
A social media campaign has been launched and information is being sent to educational establishments across Greater Lincolnshire.
“The food sector in Greater Lincolnshire employs 56,000 people, produces a quarter of the country’s vegetables and is nationally important in keeping our nation fed,” said Sarah Louise Fairburn, Chair of the Food Board at the Greater Lincolnshire LEP and a Director at Fairburns Eggs.
“Because of travel restrictions put in place to combat the coronavirus our farms are struggling to recruit the workers needed to bring in the harvest this year.
“A Student Land Army can have a significant impact on the national effort to overcome the pandemic emergency and will give students a chance to earn an income while they’re not studying.
“That’s why we’re encouraging students to tell their friends about the campaign and asking them to sign up to the Student Land Army today.”
To sign up, search for jobs on the Pick for Britain and Feed the Nation websites.
Pick for Britain is a national scheme which the LEP is supporting with the local #StudentLandArmy campaign. The harvest season starts later in Lincolnshire than in other parts of the country and farmers and employers will soon be uploading their vacancies to the website.
The Lincolnshire season is just beginning so please register with employers on the website and keep checking for direct jobs posted as the season progresses.
For more information visit the Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s food chain security page.
