Young Black Farmers, a three-part series, follows Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, one of Britain's few black farmers, as he takes a group of nine inner-city school leavers from ethnic minorities on a life-transforming journey on his farm in Devon.
In a bid to reverse the segregation in the countryside that has prevented ethnic minorities from settling outside of urban Britain, Wilfred is launching a Rural Scholarship. Young Black Farmers documents the first of his 'rural rookies' during a summer living in a converted barn on Wilfred's remote 30-acre farm and embarking on work experience placements in the local community.
Wilfred has prepared a packed schedule for his students, including 4am starts, buying and selling cattle, sausage making, farmers' markets, tractor driving and a host of other strenuous activities that make up his daily routine. And the stakes are high – if they make the grade, two of the lucky students will be offered a job working for Wilfred.
Most of the four boys and five girls aged 17–21 have spent little or no time in the countryside. Although they differ in personality and experience, as a group they all share an overwhelming desire to make a change in their lives and escape their current situation.
The pace of city life is traditionally seen as faster than that of the sleepy countryside but Wilfred will prove this age-old theory wrong. Will the rigours of animal handling and land maintenance be too much for the rookies? All the students boast of their independence but farm work means teamwork. This disbanded group of young people need to find a working dynamic if they are going to make the most of this potentially life-changing opportunity.
With a blinkered view of life outside the big city, how will they cope when confronted with the reality of rural Britain and being the only black faces in town? Will they be able to integrate into village life and successfully undertake their duties as working members of the community? Can the countryside provide the opportunities that the city has failed to deliver?
Find out more about the Rural Rookies.
Find out more about some of the places where the students did work experience in the local community.
Produced by Diverse World for Channel 4.
