Agricultural communicators must “take back the narrative” and start telling farming’s story to urban audiences, journalist and author Richard Negus told delegates at the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ annual Harvest Lunch.
Richard, who is a conservationist, columnist and professional hedgelayer, said that while the gulf between town and country had widened over generations, the public’s appetite to reconnect with farming and nature was stronger than many within the industry realise.
“What we in farming and the countryside have been terrible at is telling our story in a way that the heirs of 1851 will understand,” he said, referring to the year when the national census showed that, for the first time, more people lived in towns than in the countryside.
“Since then, nine generations have grown up largely detached from how food is produced – but that doesn’t mean they’re not interested.”
Drawing on his recent experiences promoting his book, Words from the Hedge, Negus said he had been struck by how keen people were to learn about farming and conservation when presented without judgement or jargon.
“At literary and science festivals, in city libraries and town halls, I’ve found audiences far more willing to listen and to learn than we might think,” he said during his speech during the lunch at Stationers Hall in London (9 October).
“They’re not all signed up to the church of [environmental campaigner and journalist George] Monbiot,” he said. “They just need the countryside explained to them.”
He warned that too many mainstream commentators continue to frame farming as the “bad guy”, contrasting “farmers, farting sheep and burping cows” with self-styled environmental heroes.
“Such writers cherry-pick science to suit their story, and heap most of the environment’s woes firmly at the farm gate,” he said. “We’ve let them run the narrative.”
To redress the balance, Richard called on Guild members to apply their communication skills beyond the agricultural bubble.
“You are all skilled communicators, writers and experts in agriculture – but you’re largely writing for the 20%, the people who live and work in the countryside,” he said.
“Perhaps it’s time to start writing for the 80% who don’t – the majority who live in towns and cities, and who want to understand where their food and wildlife really come from. Go out there and talk to a new and willing audience.”
