Black Farmer Emmanuel-Jones appointed to UK university board

LONDON:

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones has been appointed to the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world. The appointment of the successful Jamaica-born entrepreneur to the governing body of a prestigious farming university in the United Kingdom has been praised as a boost for diversity.

Emmanuel-Jones, widely known as The Black Farmer, will work with the RAU’s executive group. He will assist in guiding the university in fulfilling its role as a leading educator, researcher, and solution-finder at a time considered to be unprecedented for food production, rural land use, and enterprise.

HUGE HONOUR

Speaking exclusively to The Weekly Gleaner, the 65-year-old businessman described the impact he hopes to make on the sector, following his appointment.

He said: “Joining the RAU’s governing council is a huge honour for me. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with the university on several initiatives previously, including the Young City Farmers Scheme, which has given me the opportunity to help shape the pathways and passions of future British farmers.

“... my role as governor will allow me to bring more diversity to the British agricultural industry but also to attract new, fresh blood to it. Those who attend the RAU are normally from a privileged background, which I hope to change. The RAU is the Oxford and Cambridge of the farming establishment.

“Farmers are the lifeblood of British agriculture and I’m fiercely passionate about educating and attracting young people to the industry. My own love for farming began as a boy on my father’s allotment – this sparked the dream of running my own farm which has since grown beyond anything I could have imagined.”

Emmanuel-Jones believes it is ironic that the majority of the Windrush generation came from rural parts of the Caribbean and yet never pursued agricultural careers in the UK.

According to the 2018 data from the Office for National Statistics, one percentage of ethnic minorities work in farming, in the United Kingdom.

He believes the RAU’s recruiting strategy needs be revamped, with a greater focus on appealing to media sources that reach Britain’s black population.

The Black Farmers brand was launched 18 years ago. It is sold in an array of supermarkets, including Tesco and Sainsbury, and supplies award-winning gluten-free sausages, pork-cuts, cakes and rums. It generates a turnover of approximately £7 million annually.

Emmanuel-Jones was born in Clarendon, Jamaica, and came to the UK in the 1950s as part of the Windrush generation. He was raised in inner city Birmingham.

In 2000, he fulfilled a lifelong ambition when he bought a small farm in Devon which inspired him to develop and launch his own food brand – The Black Farmer.

Most recently, he was awarded an MBE for services to farming in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List.