The Queensland agriculture sector has joined together to support an initiative encouraging primary school students to visit farms and other primary education sites to grow their knowledge by learning about agriculture production, sustainable practices and land stewardship.
The Rural Jobs and Skills Alliance (RJSA) led by the Queensland Farmers’ Federation has partnered with AgForce Queensland to deliver a project funded by the federal government’s Educating Kids About Agriculture: Kids to Farm grants program, aimed at cultivating connections between farms, schools and communities.
The Central Queensland University will develop curriculum-based modules to create engagement and learning activities that support the Australian Curriculum connection to food and fibre. While the RJSA will provide advice, links to producers and knowledge of the sector.
The initiative aims to increase student’s understanding of where and how their food and fibre is produced, and the important role agriculture plays in Australia’s way of life, regional communities and economy.
Through the program, students will visit arms and primary production worksites including cotton gins, dairies, sugar mills, meatworks, production nurseries, food processors and technology-based facilities.
The program will also host food and fibre ‘mini classrooms’ at major events for students to engage in hands-on experiences complemented with short interactive learning activities aligned to the curriculum, and virtual technology or other ‘in-class’ interactive agricultural experiences.
The team recently attended Beef Australia 2021 and provided tours and mini classroom activities for primary and secondary students, as well as career conversations, career snapshots, the BEEF boot artwork competition and professional development for teachers.
The program heads to the Caboolture State High School this week for the Moo Baa Munch.
This project is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment through the Australian Government’s Educating Kids About Agriculture Initiative.
For more information about the project, visit: www.agforceqld.org.au/knowledgebase/article/AGF-01158.