The new manager of a Norfolk farm education charity hopes to target teenagers to improve public understanding of agriculture and inspire countryside careers.

Frances Roberson has been appointed as the new manager of the Food and Farming Discovery Trust (FFDT) - the educational arm of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA).

The 29-year-old from Topcroft, near Long Stratton, said she wants to continue initiatives such as Learn about Livestock, which brought farm animals into 20 Norfolk schools earlier this year to give hands-on experiences to young pupils.

She is also keen to strengthen links with high schools and sixth form colleges.

"The key responsibilities are communicating with school-age children and teenagers about the importance of knowing where their food comes from," she said.

"It is all very well teaching young children, but it is the teenage years where they form some of their longstanding opinions and mindsets.

"So I want to concentrate on that age group and make sure they are getting the facts about agriculture, particularly with all the misinformation out there.

"The trust has got a really useful set of information called 'Conscious Consumers' available via the website, and I want to promote the use of those more in schools.

"I would like to strengthen relationships with schools, especially sixth forms, and talk to them about the opportunities.

"British farmers need our help and support, they need the consumer to understand, and it is really important there are more people out there standing up for them - that is something I have been passionate about for many years."

Miss Roberson previously worked for Honingham Thorpe-based agricultural buyers AF Group, and is also a former county chairman for Norfolk's Young Farmers' Clubs (YFC).

She said another key aspect of her new role will be to explain the "multitude" of job opportunities in the agriculture sector.

"That is an important element of it - making young people realise that food production is not just about sitting on a tractor," she said.

"A wide range of skill sets, expertise and backgrounds are needed to ensure the continued good work of British farming, and to make the industry as efficient as it can be going forward.

"We have got a few challenges ahead of us, and so we need a strong workforce."