The Changing Tourist - Food Tourism: A Practical Marketing Guide - page 31

Many children today have never been to a farm before, have no idea
how food is produced and do not know how it is grown. In fact many chil-
dren suffer from what Richard Louv called nature-deficit disorder. This was
explained exceptionally well in his must-read book Last Child in the Woods . 6
In Richard Louv's book he explains that when he was a child he was en-
couraged and allowed to play outside and, for example, climb trees. Today's
children are often told that being adventurous can be dangerous and they
spend more of their leisure time in front of the computer screen rather
than in the countryside. The result is a now recognized problem called
'nature-deficit disorder'.
Involving children with a farm business at a school level helps children
understand the value of food production and will encourage them to talk to,
and hopefully get their parents involved in food experimentation. There are
a number of examples of how this works. One is 'Farmers in the Playground,
Growing Gardeners and Healthy Eaters'. This is a Canadian development
by the Common Roots Food Collective under the slogan: 'Dirt makes you
grow!' Their Facebook page 7 provides an explanation of their activities. Local
farmers setting up and supervising vegetable gardens in schools creates
valuable connections between communities and farms.
Develop a Kids Growing Magazine
It is impractical for many individual facilities to develop a children's maga-
zine, but an association of growers could develop a culinary magazine and
may want to work with a business or group of businesses to develop such a
magazine.
This could include activities in which children can become involved,
such as beet face painting, pumpkin carving or how to grow carrots. The
Nursery and Garden Industry Association of New Zealand ( www.nginz.
co.nz ) has produced an excellent children's magazine that engages with
children and encourages them to grow their own food. In Australia in
2012 'Gardening 4 Kids' ( www.gardening4kids.com.au) won the Best Kids
Company award as part of Green Lifestyle magazine's inaugural Green
Lifestyle Awards 2012.
Allergies
Another major challenge when dealing with both children and many
adults is the increasing awareness by people of allergies, especially when
it comes to food. Culinary tour operators need to be aware of allergies
and be prepared to alter recipes and meals to meet different people's
requirements.
According to the Canadian Health Department, 8 the ten most common
allergies to be aware of are the following.