Talking at the Duchy College, Cornwall

This week I spoke at the Duchy College in Cornwall about Nuffield Scholarships and their value in growing as a person.

Certainly Wood at the Nuffield Study Group

Been to a Nuffield study weekend on communications and social media and found the talk on Certainly Wood fascinating. Check out the video.

Nuffield Conference 2008

This weekend (31st October/1st November) I spoke at the Annual Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust Conference for returning scholars. Twenty-two scholars presented on a range of topics from Care Farming (farming supporting vulnerable individuals in society), to carbon footprint, farmers and social media, farming techniques, soil biology, marketing, seasonality and my topic .. water security.

It was a fabulous weekend and it was great to see my year group shine through with their knowledge, their discoveries and their enthusiasm. It was a fascinating insight into new technologies, new approaches and a positive future for the UK agricultural industry.

First posted at The Human Imprint

Washington DC

I have been in Washington DC for the last week of my Nuffield Study and whilst I was here I felt I had to go to the Lincoln Memorial that commemorates both Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. It was an amazing statute of Lincoln and a fantastic exhibition too. I would recommend a visit.

Arroyo Seco

In the midst of Pasadena is a large gorge called the Arroyo Seco. The watershed stretches from the San Gabriel Mountains to Los Angeles. On the day I walked through the gorge the concrete channel that carries the water was virtually dry. The photograph on the Arroyo Seco website shows how much water passes through the channel at full flow. You can also read about the work that is being undertaken to safeguard this vital resource.

Nuffield Scholars Blog

After a fantastic training session with Anna Farmery from The Engaging Brand (see link on the right hand side) we have set up the Nuffield Scholars blog (see link). It was a day when we learnt about blogs, posts. widgets, podcasts, wikis and many more new things! It is also great to think that I have moved slightly ahead of my children for a while on the technological front! Not for long I am sure! So if you want to see how the Nuffield Scholars are doing on their travels check out the blog!

Nuffield visit to Brussels

A group from the 2007 Nuffield farming scholars have just been on a trip to Brussels to gain an insight into how the European Union works. It was a very informative trip and we had some excellent speakers covering a wide range of topics including the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, EU Environmental Policy, issues for farmers and producers in Hungary and Germany, the continuing GM debate, and consumer perception of food issues.

It has prepared us all for our travels - many begin in two weeks time going to China for a study tour.

We walked through the city taking in the feel of the cafe society and looking at the sights (photos above) and also enjoyed the Eurostar journey through the countryside of France (photo above) and Belgium.

Nuffield Scholarship

Louise has been awarded a 2007 Nuffield Scholarship, by the Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust. The study has been sponsored by the John Oldacre Foundation. The title of the study is "The impact of water quality and availability on food production." Watch this space for more details.