Food Up Front

How do you encourage 16- 24

year olds to grow their own

fruit and vegetables

bbc.co.uk/digin

bbc.co.uk/digin

© BBC 2010 Published by BBC Learning, MC4 A4, Media Centre, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TQ

The ‘Dig In’ campaign run by the

BBC is aiming to tap in to the grow-

your-own food mentality that has

arisen from the thrift-conscious

effects of our current recession and

growing concerns for sustainability

and the environment. The campaign

is predominantly internet based,

displaying growing tips, seasonal

growing times, gardening forums

and instructional videos that give

step by step guides of how to

sow and grow a select group of

crops, ranging from beginner to

the more experienced gardener.

Along with this they also have a

physical aid to the campaign, by

request through e-mail or post you

will be sent a free envelope of the

seeds that have been chosen for

that year. The seeds for 2010 are

currently, basil, carrots, courgettes,

mixed salad leaves and French

bean seeds. Last year it was carrot,

beetroot, tomato, squash and lettuce

seeds. You also receive a simple

booklet with everything you need to

know about growing your produce.

From responses on related forums it

seems that when the campaign was

launched the BBC where inundated

with requests and currently you are

no longer able to get the seeds from

the website as they have run out

due to high demand, all evidence of

a successful campaign. The project

even focuses on what to do with your

produce after it has been harvested.

The website contains a section for

recipes and a successful message

board where participants can share

their thoughts and make suggestions

and keen gardeners can leave words

of advice (or in the words of the

campaign, ‘Sow what they Know’).

The BBC has adopted a very playful

approach in the way it communicates

to its audience. Quirky animations

and simple wording suggest that a

large part of the campaign could be

aimed at the younger generation, I

assume with the intention to instill

habit early on so to carry on the

ecological trend. This is also evident

in the simplicity of the program. They

are not suggesting that you leap

up from your sofa, grab a shovel

and begin digging over half of your

garden to create an urban farmyard

but instead select 4 or 5 simple pot

projects each year, an approach that

reminds me very much of the BBC

‘Bite-size’ campaign that intended to

make revision easier for children by a

series of quick mock questions online.

The promotion for the campaign has

taken many directions with mentions

on programmes such as, the Green

Balloon Club, CBeebies (aimed at

children) and it also has a regular

slot on Gardeners’ World were a

weekly update from its Dig In garden

where Gardener, Toby Buckland also

offers advice and tips to growers.

Encouragement also comes in the

form of the Dig In bus which tours

around the country, providing help

and advice for participants and

continues to make people aware of

the campaign and provide seed packs

for those who wish to get involved.

Last year saw 87% of participants

create a permanent vegetable

patch. Many groups have joined

in this campaign, including the

Scouts who are shown a video to

encourage them to grow either at

home or at their Scout Local Head

Quarters. Communities have come

together to share land, resources,

advice and encouragement.

current campaigns

BBC dig in

We began the project as a class

by looking at existing campaigns

that are similar to Food Up Front.

We looked further into the BBC’s

recent DIG IN campaign which

aims to generate interest home

grown food through internet and

television.

find out how to grow my own food or eat my cat 1.

I think they’d be pretty jealous and want to eat them 2.

I can’t think of anything... 3.

technology & intelligence 4.

eat, watch films, bike ride once in a blue moon5.

work6.

my nan and grandad grow fruit and veg so I’d go 1.

there

cool, I might join you2.

the Addidas adverts on television, Stella Artois, 3.

Marks and Spencer food

facebook, Twitter, Blackberries, Celebrity looks, 4.

magazines, clothing and music

socialising with friends and alcohol, clubbing, 5.

cinema, dinner dates and going to the gym

a healthy mixture of both6.

grow my own or hunt food1.

they’d probably laugh, but i wouldn’t mind 2.

the new Addidas advert with the celebs in it, its a 3.

good idea to have famous people e.g David

Beckham in the advert because everyone loves him

:), however t doubt i’d wear trainers designed or

advertised by Ndubz

laptops, Music, Iphones, Blackberrys4.

cinema, clubbing, listen to music, occasionally shop5.

it’s is easier to get something given to you but i 6.

think i’d feel better once i know ive earnt it

order a takeaway or go to a pub or restaurant for 1.

food

probably quite interested, guess that comes from 2.

going to an agricultural college though

the babies on rollerskates (evian) and the dog 3.

wearing a wig (orange)

facebook and music4.

go to the pub, watch films. have no hobbies5.

work and know that it has been earnt6.

go to a restaurant or cafe1.

my friends would probably be mocking but curious2.

the sun advertising their world cup coverage 3.

i suppose technology is ‘cool’ to our age group, but 4.

i wouldnt say im influenced by anything really,

especially judging by the state of my cell phone and

lack of an ipod

i like to play badminton and go to the pub and 5.

generally socialise

earn it6.

I would look for animals to hunt and look for natural 1.

fruits and nuts

they would look at me with a strange look and most 2.

probably laugh

ones for computer games and also adverts for the 3.

world cup

facebook would be the main one and also the use 4.

of text language and smartphones, also celebs also

influence our age group

prob to sit in the pub chatting or just chatting in 5.

general, my hobbies are mostly computer and ps3

work for something and know i have earnt it6.

you wake up one day and supermarkets and grocery 1.

stores don’t exist, you look in your fridge and all of

your cupboards and there is nothing.

Food has disappeared? How would you go about

getting food?

you are standing with all of your friends. They are all 2.

talking about hobbies and you say that you like to grow

your own vegetables. How do they react?

what recent advertising or marketing campaigns tha 3.

are aimed at your age group have recently caught your

attention?

every age group has something that’s considered cool 4.

and influences the majority of that age group in some

way. What would you say are modern trends specific to

you? what’s cool to use, say, speak, have, do,

etc? What influences you?

what do you and your friends generally do in your free 5.

time? Do you have any hobbies?

do you prefer to work for something and know that 6.

you’ve earnt it or prefer to have something given to

you?

user research

If we were to come up with a soluton

for 16-24 year olds we would need

to get a better understanding of their

current opinions on growing and

consuming fruit and vegetables so

we carried out some user research

by means of questionaire. We asked

each person the questions below

Mikey

22 year old student

Laura

20 year old student

Sophie

24 year old graduate

Chloe

24 year old office worker

Tom

18 year old student

Lucy

18 year old student

order it online to fill the cupboards and then order a 1.

take away for right then and there

they probably would laugh and think it was funny 2.

but if it was something I enjoyed then they’d be cool

cant think of many but Talk to Frank with the stuffed 3.

dog was funny therefore i remember it

facebook and Twitter have both definitely taken 4.

over our lives, every time you go out cameras are

there just for pictures to put up, if some one says

something funny automatically it becomes some

ones facebook status or you might add yourself to

a quirky group so you look funny and random.

hang out with friends, watch films, pub, clubbing, 5.

go for something to eat, drinking. No hobbies really

obviously it is nice to receive a small gesture if you 6.

are low on money on your birthday or something,

but generally i like to know that i have earnt all my

money and that i can supply for myself

I would go and either ask my neighbours if they had 1.

any food I could have, or I would go kill some

animals for meat and see if there are any wild

berries or some vegetables from an allotment that I

could have

most of my friends would thinks its okay/cool as 2.

they do it too, but some of my none homeschooling

friends would probably find it funny

I like the “Compare the Meerkat.com” ads, they 3.

rock and are so funny, especially when they do the

tune and he goes “simples” haha

cool to use - touchscreens, cool to say - emoc, cool 4.

to speak - not sure, cool to have - your own laptop,

cool to do - something new, interesting, unusal

we either go shopping or talk online, sometimes me 5.

and my friend go to the gym

I like to work so I can say “I paid for this myself” 6.

cause also it makes me look after it more carefully,

although I do like to recieve stuff, but suppose

earning it myself is better.

I would grow my own food, but until my own food 1.

was ready to eat i would go to Nuneaton and pinch

food from my mum and dad’s allotment.

I think my friends at first would have a little giggle 2.

but secretly they would be extremely jealous of my

hobbie and want there own vegetable patch too

nothing really3.

Jesus influences me! But i guess also my fiance and 4.

my family, the music i listen to, the programs i watch

alot of things really

Free time....what’s that? But i do have a hobbie or 5.

two which include dancing and singing

I like both i guess, i like the sense of achievment 6.

when i have worked extremely hard for something,

but i also like it when i get given things as a gift just

for being brilliant and being good at what i do

I would grow my own fruit and veg and hunt animals 1.

for meat

they would laugh and ask me why2.

there hasnt been any aimed at my age group 3.

recently

I’m mainly influenced by my hobbie of computer 4.

games and movies, I’d say they are a big influence

for my age group currently, along with music

we tend to play computer games together or go out 5.

and watch a movie

I prefer to actually earn something rather than it just 6.

being handed to me, just for the simple fact that it

feels more rewarding. However, it is nice to be

occasionally spoon fed so to speak, it has to be

a good balance really

Tessa

19 year old dancer

Rachel

21 year old student

Nick

16 year old student

Megan

16 year old student

user profiling

Each member of the class carried out their

own user research, this research was then

gathered together for a user profiling exercise.

We took our strongest question responses

and created profiles for these characters.

After we had each completed our profiles

we compared them all to try and pin-point

common attributes of ages, occupations and

interests to see if there was evidence of a pat-

tern or average.

After each group had collected information from each of

their groups we created profiles of each person. These

profiles where then combined to create these ‘perso-

nas’.

Personas are fictional characters that are based on

averages. They tend to be used commonly in design and

marketing.

Each of us had taken our research away and had

begun to generate some initial concepts for a solution.

We met again to discuss our current ideas and

work together in forming some solid concept.

The class split the solution in to the 5 steps of a possible

campaign; ‘finding out’, ‘getting it’, ‘sewing’, ‘growing’

and ‘spreading’. We then wrote our ideas on sticky

notes and placed them into the relevant category.

brainstorming

This was a quick fire excersise and by the end

of the day we were to form seperate groups

and settle on one idea to run with. Myself

and two others, Nikki and Joel, decided that

we’d like to work together on a campaign that

would encourage children to grow vegetables

through a pocket money scheme.

�t�h�e� � �o�o�d� � �r�o�n�t�f�fconcept

Our initial idea: A pocket money/ entre-

preneurial scheme where young people

between the age of 16-24 would be en-

couraged to become a member of ‘The

Food Front’. They would work alone

from home with online support from the

campaign. They will introduce them-

selves to their local area as a member of

the campaign and offer local residents

the opportunity to buy fresh fruit of veg-

etables that they will personally grow.

I like the idea of organic food

I don't eat much fruit or veg

It's nice to see children involved with the community

It saves me a trip to the shops

I already grow my own

I can also eat the food I grow

An opportunity for some independence

I already grow my own, just didn't think to sell it

I live a healthy lifestyle and see it as a fitting job

It has other social benefits

Display your food front sticker in your window so your rep knows to call when their produce is ready

become a member

spread the word

sow and growharvest

deliver

apply

earn

Are you interested in buying fruit and veg from your local rep?

Registration Form

Interests!"#$$%$$&

'()*+,$$%$$&

-))./01$$%$$&

'23).2$$%$$&$

4)*3,56*78$$%$$&

9).5,$$%$$&

!*25$,+)*/5,$$%$$&

:;<$$%$$&

=/3$>)2$.0)?@$$%$$&

?)*A3$05?,$$%$$&

Surname

Addres

County

D.O.B

Telephone

E-mail

Last Name

Postcode

Mobile

I would like

Favourite fruit/veg

!"#$$%%&$$'%(!))

!"#$$%%&$$'%(!))

The Food Front is giving you the opportunity to have fresh organic fruit and vegetables delivered to your door (at less than supermarket prices!) Grown by a young Food Front representative from your area you will also be supporting the youth of your local community!

Not only does the food front team grow the produce from home but they can also make use of your unused garden! Rent out a patch to a Food Front representative and reap the bene�ts of fresh food grown under your control!

*($+,,%-*+!*%($.*!"

How is your pesticide tolerance?

Like your veggies chemical free?

Like to know where your food is from?

!"#$$%%&$$'%(!))Well we have a suggestion.

!"#$$%%&$$'%(!))

*($+,,%-*+!*%($.*!"!"#$%&&'&&(

)*+$&%,"*-$%&&'&&(

./0&&'&&(

1-2&3"+&#4"56&&'&&(

5"*72&4$5%&&'&&(

Last Name

Postcode

Mobile

apply

Young people would find out about the

campaign from the Food Front website,

through marketing material or through word

of mouth. If they are interested in the idea of

growing fruit and veg for money and would

like to become a Food Front member then

they can apply for memberaship either by

filling out a physical form or applying online.

the pack

The Food Front member would receive a welcome pack

which would give them most of what they need to get

started:

Flyers to give to their local community to make them aware • of the scheme and the service that the Food Front mem

ber offers them.

A welvome booklet that gives the young person an outline • of the scheme, help and advice for campaigning, growing

and how to run their own business. It would also include

news and stories from other members.

As they will be required to introduce themselves to • neighbours and others in their community then they

will also receive an official identification. This helps to give

the worker a sense of pride and also it helps to re-assure

any doubts of authentidity for their customers.

They also receive some small freebies to get them started; • a pair of gardening gloves, a selection of seasonal seeds

and some small pots to start growing them in.

�v�e�g�e�t�a�b�l�e�/�f�r�u�i�t� � � � � � � � � �t�y�p�i�c�a�l� �p�u�r�c�h�a�s�e� �p�r�i�c�e� � � � �e�x�p�e�c�t�e�d� �y�i�e�l�d� � � � � � � � �c�o�s�t� �o�f� �h�o�m�e�g�r�o�w�n� � � � � � � � � � � �a�v�.� �s�u�p�e�r�m�a�r�k�e�t� �c�o�s�t� � � � � � �s�a�v�i�n�g

Cucumber £1.50 a plant 30-40 per plant 5p each £1.10 each £1.05 per 1

Tomatoes £1.50 a plant 3kg a plant 50p a kg £3.56 a kg £3.06 a kg

Courgettes £1.50 a plant 30 per plant 5p each 43p each 38p per 1

Mangetout £2.50 seeds 3kg m2 83p a kg £6.62 a kg £5.79 a kg

Baby carrots £1.50 seeds 6kg m2 25p a kg £3.30 a kg £3.05 a kg

Leaf salads £2 per seeds 2 to 6 bags 33p - £1 £1.47 - 125g 47p - £1.14

Strawberries £1.50 a plant 2kg - 6 plants £3-£4.50 a kg £4.36 a kg £1.36 a kg

Raspberries £1 - £2 2kg per bush 50p-£1 a kg £9.97 a kg £9.47 a kg

price comparison

We thought it would be useful to find

out how much somebody growing

their own fruit or veg could look to

earn from their crops. We found an

article on the ‘Which’ website that

showed the difference in cost of how

much a supermarket would charge

for a kg of produce to how much it

would cost you to grow your own.

Obviously it will be cheaper to grow

your own produce but the price

differences were suprising, some

of which nearly had a 1000% mark

up. This would mean that the Food

Front member could heavily undercut

the competition and still earn a

fair amount from their produce.

prototype animation

feedback

We felt that we had taken the

concept as far as we could with

our current research and we we

felt it was ripe enough for some

feedback. We went to a London

street near a school and a local

health food shop and asked the

parents and children that past by

what they thought of our idea.

“Yes I would get involved and buy... At my

children’s school they have introduced

enterprise schemes before so it would not

be a foreign concept to them” - Julie

“It sounds like a lot of work and children now are

used to computer games and it would be such a

demand and probably end up discouraging them

from liking vegetables” - Margret

“I dunno if a kid should do it? Have you seen the

kids around here? I think if the kids grow them

that’s a good idea but the teacher should sell

them” - Mark

“Yeah that sounds sweet... 12 and up sounds

like a good age to start and then have time to

carry it on” - Simon

“I think it is a good idea but you should be

looking at getting 5 to 11 year olds first”

- Stacy, Milly and George

“Yes I think I would do it, I like to grow flowers

with my sisters at home” - Karen

“It sounds lovely. I think the younger the better

and then they grow into it and then they could

make a business but the interest needs to be

there” - Sarah

“His nursery get them to grow things... so I think

there is a novelty of growing something and then

being able to eat it. - Katie and Jake

Helen Brownlie Love it!

My thoughts:

1. Include compost in the starter

pack.

2. Perhaps you could include recipe

ideas relating to what they’ve got in

the veg boxes to encourage people to

shop seasonally and continue using

the service.

3. Money - I think kids will go for the

cash, definitely!

4. You could encourage schools

to take up the scheme - each child

interested gets a starter pack, the

seeds are sown in school and looked

after in the school grounds, might get

more kids involved.

3. Possible developments could

include setting up community

vegetable patches or gardens, which

the local youth take responsibility for.

James Alec Viney I like this animation video, makes sense and i think it would appeal to quite a few people to different generations especially the younger.

Jade Wright Yes it would work,

however how would you know if

they were actually growing them? I

bet students would grow vegetable

if they got paid for it.... free veg

+ money = funtown. For younger

kids though maybe tickets to go

places would be better than money

e.g alton towers or something?

Katie Haukeland i love it, where is my box of equipment? i want to start growing my own veg!

Ali Knowles Money for growing… thats a good way to make some pocket money. How much you talking? I’ve got a harvest nearly ready for the picking…

Megan Je Brown I think its a good idea, gets kids outside,

and helps those who cant sit still actually work and do

something, and makes kids feel proud to bring home their

veggies to their parents and eat them. Also teach them to

look after things but kids with not much money, or parents

who wont help them, they would need help themselves,

to start it, so maybe include things that will let them?

Tom Osborn In terms of the brief,

i like it and could see a market for

it (with all my years of expericence

obviously) .Combining the market

for local independent produce and

the selling tactic of getting young

people involved is a good one. Have

you considered/talked to groups

like the beavers/scouts/guides etc?

As they probably have a badge for

this kind of thing and would have

some expericence in getting it to

work? In terms of the outline, its

nicely presented and well laid out.

online group

We also created an online group

through Facebook where we

encouraged people to comment on our

idea. We uploaded our prototype video

and a general overview of intentions.

WWW

website

representative

youth groups school

food front

worker

local residents

parents and

children

business model

The feedback we received was overall very positive

but it lead us to re-think the framework of our idea,

so we came up with this new business model. Food

Up Front would front the campaign lead by a group

of volunteer reps and a dedicated website.

The initial contact would be through schools and youth

groups and it would only be through development that

a yung person may decide to work on their own in their

own community, however if they choose to do so they will

always have support from their reps and Food Up Front.

Newsletter

Alongside the website all that choose to be involved

in the campaign will receive a monthly newsletter

informing them of upcoming events, changes to the

scheme and general info as well as stories, advice

and other additions such as recipes or interviews.

This helps to keep an on-going connection with

participants

Information packs

The first stage of the marketing campaign will be three information packs

Pack one will be aimed

at reps, introducing

them to the aim of the

campaign and what

their potential role may

involve.

Pack three is aimed at our young

audience, it will be an introduction

goodie bag, this pack is attained by

means of application. The potential

food front worker fills out form to

express their interest and they are sent

this pack to get them started in their

personal campaign.

Pack two will be given to schools and

youth groups with the intention to make

them aware of the campaign, give

them the information they need to get

involved and arrange for a local rep to

visit their school and hopefully begin to

gain the interest of their students.

The food front program is an adaptation of

the framework that food up front has already

constructed. The campaign will be launched

using promotion through a devoted website

and campaigning at schools and youth groups

which will lead by local volunteers or reps.

website

The website will be a crucial element to launching

the campaign. It’s initial job will be to inform potential

reps on how to apply and what the aim of the scheme

is. It will introduce schools to the campaign and

possibly make a start in recruiting food front workers.

When the campaign is in motion it will act as a hub

for reps, workers and affiliates to communicate. Reps

can inform food up front of their progress or discuss

any queries they may have, food front workers

will use the website to communicate with others

involved, sharing stories and tips and with an ranking

system in place there may be room for some healthy

competition.

The food front rep is a volunteer who will be sourced through promotion or more than

likely be one of food up fronts current volunteers.

Their initial job is to promote the campaign to schools and youth groups to try and

recruit youth workers.

They will work alongside the schools to either try to place the campaign in to the

schools curriculum or introduce it as an after school activity.

They will aim to encourage the youth workers to consider taking the campaign to their

local street and be their for support and guidance if they choose to do so.

food up front

food front rep

business roles

Either due to introduction to the campaign through

school or from word of mouth and info from the Food

Front website the food front worker is the hopeful

outcome of our campaign. They are aged between

12 and 20 years old and are self driven food growers

who work in their local community. They sow and

grow fruit, flowers and vegetables which they then

deliver to their local community in exchange for cash.

They will also be key in spreading the word back

to their class mates or any others interested in the

program.

The local resident will benefit from a supply of fresh

fruit of homegrown, organic vegetables at a sum

lower than that of chain stores which would be an ob-

vious benefit for the elderly or those with busy lives.

It also gives them a chance to support local youths

in doing something constructive and possibly create

some social connections

Like schools, youth groups like Scouts, Brownies or

Cadets will also be approached with the hope that

the project may be able to be incorporated in to their

program.

The campaign may also capture the interest of

younger children between the ages of 5-9 therefore

reps could approach infant and junior schools where

they would involve the parents and the children.

Parents would be encouraged to help their children

out of school.

Schools will be the main audience for visiting reps.

They will try to be encouraged to either adopt

the scheme in to their curriculum or support the

program by working alongside the rep in creating

an after school activity where children will learn how

to grow their own crops. Parents or Guardians of

the students may also be encouraged to consider

volunteering as a food front rep.

schools and youth groups

local residents

food front worker

conclusion

It teaches you where food comes from

The participants will be involved with preparing, nurturing

and growing the food. This will give them insight into where

their food comes from and what is necessary to grow it

It teaches you the value of nurturing something

As they keep watering and tending to the plants,

they will see the stages of development, and

how the plants vary in the way they grow

It brings delayed, rather than instant, satisfaction

Can teach young people that somethings in life cannot

be instant and waiting and hard work reaps benefits

It can save you money

It puts you in touch with the seasons/weather

Having to be aware of when some plants will grow and

others will not will help them realise the effects of nature

It can alter buying behaviour

The realisation of how easy and cheap it is to grow your

own food and how tasty home grown fresh produce

is it will hopefully result in the participants being

more aware of what they are buying in the shops

They are in control

If they don’t want to grow something they don’t

have, they might want a lot of one vegetable but

not much of another they can vary what they grow

depending on their own wants and needs

It’s tasty

Organic food without pesticides tastes much better than

packaged and treated food from the supermarket

Motivate and encourage 16 to 24 years old

We asked people of this age group and from other age

groups, to see what they might consider would improve the

motivation of 16-24 years old people and encourage them

to carry on with growing their own food.

Change attitude towards growing their own food

Some young people wont eat fruit and veg out of habit or

because they prefer other foods, building their personal

connection with the fruit and veg will hopefully encourage

them to think about putting it on their own plate or at least

consider it.

Realistic for Food Up Front in terms of budget and

volunteer time

A few things will be required to start it off

Volunteers will be needed to act as the reps so as to give

each area or community a person that can lead the project

and oversee the work of the people involved . Participants

will have a point of contact, for advice, restocking etc.

They will need printed media for the packs to send out

to people, including printed leaflets, ID Cards, progress

charts, information sheets etc

Seeds, gloves and pots etc will also be a consideration

when looking at budget costs