National Trust begins farming experiment

The National Trust has taken inspiration from Facebook and begun its own virtual farming experiment, called ‘MyFarm’.

The organisation is calling for 10,000 volunteers to take part in the virtual farming scheme and insists that those who step forward need no previous farming experience. MyFarm is being set up in a bid to build stronger connections between consumers and their food and is asking an annual fee of just £30 from each farmer to take charge of Wimpole Home Farm, on Cambridgeshire’s Wimpole Estate.

Wimpole Home Farm attracts around a quarter of a million visitors each year and the National Trust hopes that the popularity of the farm, combined with a modern approach to farming will mean a good uptake of the 10,000 positions.

Director general of the National Trust, Fiona Reynolds, said: “MyFarm will get people around the world talking about farming and how food is produced, making decisions that go beyond what they buy in the supermarket, and understanding how their decisions affect the land under their care.”

So there are high hopes for the virtual experiment.