TALKING ALL THINGS CANE

CANEGROWERS project officer Shikira Kalatzis and CANEGROWERS Cairns Region district manager Sarah Standen were actively talking all things cane to 210 delegates from all over Australia, including many agriculture teachers, at the 2023 PIEFA Conference.

PIEFA’s Growing the NextGen of Food and Fibre Education conference, held in Canberra last month, showcased the latest in agricultural education and provided the opportunity for educators to connect with industry representatives.

Project officer Shikira, who leads the implementation of education strategies for CANEGROWERS says attending conferences, like PIEFA, provide opportunities to speak directly with agricultural teachers and pitch the concept of teaching about sugarcane in the classroom.

“There were some outstanding speakers at the PIEFA conference that shared their insights and experiences, as well as educators who are changing the way agriculture, food and fibre is taught,” Shikira said.

“It was inspiring to see industry representatives who are exploring different methods to engage with young people, and academics and researchers devoted to developing innovations for the agricultural sector.

Shikira and Sarah

“During one of the workshops, PIEFA gave teachers a sneak peek into our new sugarcane teaching resource by showcasing a lesson and example of the sugarcane modelling task.” This resource aligns to Design and Technologies (Australian curriculum) and the Agricultural curriculum (NSW syllabus) and targets Years 9-10 students and will be finalised and available for teachers in the coming months.

This is the second curriculum-aligned resource for schools that CANEGROWERS has collaborated with PIEFA, the first Sugarcane: One plant, Many products designed for Years 5-8 was launched in December 2021. It provides interactive lessons and engaging activities that delve into the process of growing, harvesting and processing sugarcane allowing students to gain a deeper understanding of the many products that can be produced from sugarcane. The development of sugarcane school-based curriculum in collaboration with PIEFA is one way to engage with the educational sector, but CANEGROWERS also champions the industry in a variety of ways to engage with and educate young people about the career pathways available.

For example, appearing in the Queensland Farmers’ Federation’s publication Careers in Ag, the successful interactive industry display at the 2022 Ekka, and the regular school visits via the CANEGROWERS district offices throughout the year, all assist in introducing young people to the industry to gain a better understanding, and showcase potential career pathways.