1. Rank these activities. Put the best things about
being a farmer at the top:
• Animals
• Growing things
• Driving a tractor
• Having no boss
• Healthy lifestyle
• Beautiful views
• Being on the land
• Animals
• Money
2. How important is farming in your country? Who does it? Is it principally the older generation which farms? At what age do they retire? Does your government do anything to encourage young people to become farmers?
3. Have you had any experience of farming yourself? Would you like to? Does the idea of growing your own food appeal to you? Do you have 'green fingers'? Have you ever been tempted to quit the 'rat race' and become self-sufficient?
4. At what age would you like to retire? Does the state pension provide enough money for a comfortable retirement? What do you think of the UK government's plan (see article) to give retiring farmers this large amount of money? Does it make sense? Do you think that there is a younger generation that can't wait to become farmers?
Read article here: Farming Reading
5. The UK government believes that older farmers are 'stuck in their ways' and that they are resistant to change: is that true in your country? Are young farmers in your country more open to greener farming methods?
6. Should there be an incentive for young people to become farmers as well? If all the old farmers retire, how can the government be sure that there will be another generation to replace them?
7. Could the principle of paying older people to retire early be applied to other industries? Which ones? Is there, on the other hand, an argument for paying older people to not retire early? Are there any sectors where experience is more important than youth?
8. Most farmers become farmers because their families have always farmed. Isn't this family-based system better than having the government intervene in the market?
9. Do you know any old people that are more environmentally friendly than their younger counterparts?
..........
Situation
It is May, 2019. You are a senior government advisor. One year ago, the government asked you to make UK farming greener. After a lot of research, you have decided on the scheme of paying older farmers to retire early. You are now meeting the Prime Minister (your teacher) to announce your plans. Answer any questions he has.
..........
Discuss quotes
“A farmer is a magician who produces money from the mud.”
― Amit Kalantri
“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the supermarket, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.”
― Aldo Leopold
"To resist change, to try to cling to life, is therefore like holding your breath: if you persist, you kill yourself."
--- Alan Watts
"Every generation needs a new revolution."
--- Thomas Jefferson
“The young, no doubt, make mistakes; but the old, when they try to think for them, make even greater mistakes.”
― Bertrand Russell
Student Handout PDF: Farming
Photo: Nicolas Veithen
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