Connecting farmers digitally with the public

Stone farmers’ market regular Sarah Gayton is holding a special event at the end of July  on how film, social media and smart phones can be used to link the public to the farmer.

The ‘Farmers on Film Festival’ will be held at the International Cheese Awards in Nantwich on 29th July and will see leading names from the farming and tourism industries, social media, film and technology come together. They include the founder of the Raindance Film Festival, stars of BBC food and farming programmes, Visit Britain and many more.

Sarah, from Leek, set up Farmers on Film in 2010 to showcase British farmers using the latest technology as part of the build-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

She said: “The idea was simple, to showcase the farmers who produce the food on the big screens at the Games and on to people’s smart phones using social media. I wanted to make the farmers part of the Games and to create a real interest about who produces our food in the UK.”

The project was a huge success. The films – produced by students from Staffordshire University and including one on Stone – had their world premiere at the Stoke Your Fires film festival in 2012 and were shown in the Olympic headquarters in London, as well as key farming, food and university events. In March 2013, the project moved on further, with the launch of postcards using augmented reality technology.

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Here’s the Farmers on Film video that focused on Stone…

Sarah’s taken loads of videos at Stone farmers’ market over the years, too. You can see them on the Farmers on Film YouTube channel here – www.youtube.com/user/farmersonfilm/videos. Here’s a great one from the market in 2011:

Now comes the Farmers on Film Festival on 29th July.

Sarah said: “Farmers on Film wants to share the inspirational stories of those people who produce our Great British food and farm in our Great British countryside using the new mobile technology. The festival aims to continue the Olympic legacy by providing an opportunity to showcase the farmers behind the production of world-class artisan cheeses through film, social media and on smart phones.”

You can find out more about the festival event on 29th July on the Farmers on Film website HERE. You can also find Sarah on Twitter – she’s @farmersonfilm – or say hello to her at the next farmers’ market in Stone on Saturday 2nd August. She’d love to tell you more about it!