National Rural Woman of the Year, Deb Bain, said the findings indicated how events, such as Farm Day, were necessary to help connect city people with farmers.

The survey, conducted for Meat & Livestock Australia, showed that nearly one-third of urban Australians have never visited a working farm.

Released today, the survey also found that only 22pc of Australia's city residents have a relative or close friend who is a farmer.

In Sydney, the gap between city and country people was the most profound.

As many as 37pc of Sydney residents have never visited a working farm and only 14pc of Sydneysiders have a relative or close friend who is a farmer.

"What this means is that children are not getting first-hand exposure to farming and in many cases have no idea where or how their food or fibre is produced," Deb said.

"Farm Day can help because a city family is matched with a farming family for a day of 'fun, friendship and understanding'.

"The problem is that currently there are not enough farms registered to participate to meet the demand from city families.

"We desperately need farmers to get involved in Farm Day to give city families an opportunity to learn how a modern farmer operates."

Research from last year's first-ever national Farm Day showed that making a connection with city families can increase demand for farm product.

A whopping 86pc of city participants said they would buy more Australian products and 89pc said they gained an understanding of the role of farming in our daily lives.

"There's a perception among city families who are not connected to family or friends on the land that farmers are 'old fashioned', environmentally unsound or cruel to animals," Deb said.

"We need farmers to help to counter these myths by hosting a city family on their farm."

* This year, Farm Day will take place on May 24-25. To register to take part, visit www.farmday.com.au or call 1300 36 70 36.