SA primary school students are all set to have their knowledge of agriculture lifted, thanks to a new engaging program launched at Goodwood Primary School today (Wednesday) by Primary Producers SA.
The program, Educating Kids About Agriculture, will provide teachers and students with a multitude of hands-on, on-farm and in-school resources and materials which explore livestock, cropping, horticulture, viticulture and sustainable water management.
The project has been funded from the federal government's Kids to Farms grant program, and has been launched to coincide with National Agriculture Day this coming Friday.
Three main hubs form the program: a series of videos, resources and virtual reality experiences developed by George the Farmer founder and director Simone Kain, a Wickedly Water Efficient Program run by Jeanette Gellard and Kerri Muller, and a Food and Fibre Education SA hub looking into the cropping side of agriculture, facilitated by AgCommunicators.
PPSA's Educating Kids About Agriculture Steering Committee chair Don Plowman said the need to get children excited about agriculture from a young age was vital.
"It's part of a much broader approach, we're trying to get a much better alignment between the needs of the primary industries sector, and the needs of educational support for the schools," Mr Plowman said.
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"There is a general feeling that they aren't aligned as well as they should be, the purpose here is to try to start that in primary schools."
Mr Plowman hoped the program helped students to realise the wide array of opportunities available in agriculture.
"We want to raise the profile of agriculture and try and get some greater level of enthusaism, commitment and understanding of opportunities the ag sector provides," he said.
George the Farmer founder Simone Kain said there has "never been a better time" to launch a program with this aim.
We can't all be expected to know everything about every piece of produce, but if you can make learning videos fun, there is more likelihood that kids will wanting to watch them.
- SIMONE KAIN
"The statistics with regards to what kids do and don't know about where food comes from keep being repeated, and something needs to be done," she said.
"The support and understanding that kids will get from Educating Kids About Agriculture will further support the agricultural industry in years to come."
Ms Kain said it was important to support teachers, particularly those without farming or rural backgrounds.
"We want teachers to be able to pick up this program and run with it, they can download resources off our website and use them in classroom without having to do additional work," she said.
"We can't all be expected to know everything about every piece of produce, but if you can make learning videos fun, there is more likelihood that kids will want to watch them," she said.
Ms Kain's videos and resources have all been developed in SA, and while relevant on a national and international scale, Ms Kain was proud to be able to showcase SA produce.
"The videos are definitely focusing on and promoting SA and how diverse our state is with regards to ag production, but anyone can learn from the videos regardless of where they are," she said.
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Claire Harris
Journalist at Stock Journal. Hailing from South East Queensland, Claire moved to SA at the start of 2019. She is passionate about agriculture, cooking, sport, and line dancing, and loves a good long road trip.
Journalist at Stock Journal. Hailing from South East Queensland, Claire moved to SA at the start of 2019. She is passionate about agriculture, cooking, sport, and line dancing, and loves a good long road trip.
