School farm program to boost healthy living

All public school students in NSW would be taught where their food comes from under a program put forward by NSW Farmers.

With food and groceries being top of the agenda for families heading into the state election, NSW Farmers has proposed a suite of school-based measures to encourage children to learn how to grow their own food, fnd out where food comes from, and potentially take up a career in agriculture.

NSW Farmers Rural Affairs Committee chair Deb Charlton said it was concerning that children didn’t understand the basics with food, but there were some simple solutions.

“According to a 2020 study by the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia, a third of young people aged 12 to 19 didn’t know yoghurt is an animal product and just under two thirds didn’t know cotton is derived from a plant,” Mrs Charlton said.

“Over the past couple of years NSW Farmers has delivered a successful Kids to Farms program for primary school students and we’ve seen them really enjoy learning about this practical, everyday thing that many take for granted.

“We’re hoping to see all sides of politics commit to bolstering agricultural education in our schools from kindergarten right through to Year 12, because there are great opportunities out there for young people.”

While NSW already had agriculture as part of the curriculum up to Year 8, Mrs Charlton said expanding that focus would help restore

Australians’ connections to where food comes from. Furthermore, she said exposing older students to modern agricultural practices would open the door to more job opportunities, particularly for those students who wanted to work with nature.

“At the moment there are six jobs to every one agriculture graduate in Australia, and these are in a range of disciplines from shearing and dairying through to IT and piloting drones,” Mrs Charlton said.

“Agriculture is not just a ‘manual labour’ sort of career, it’s a modern and ever-evolving industry that requires a range of skills across the entire state.

“Many lifelong careers start with a childhood passion, and it makes sense to get students switched on to farming from a young age.” NSW Farmers has called for:

1. Establishment of an ‘Ask A Farmer’ program to strengthen conversations about agriculture.

2. Dedicated funding for teachers’ professional development to improve specialist agriculture delivery for all students in K-12.

3. Funding for an industry-led agriculture awareness, engagement and career program available for all school students in K-12.

4. Additional funding for TAFE NSW towards local delivery of agriculture and agriculture-dependent qualifcations across rural NSW.

HONOUR ROLL RECOGNISES THE ‘UNSUNG HEROES’ OF REGIONAL, RURAL AND REMOTE NSW

Sixty-nine new names have been added to the 2021-22 Hidden Treasures Honour Roll which pays public tribute to the girls and women across regional, rural and remote NSW who have given their time and energy to helping others in their community.

Coordinated by the NSW Rural

Women’s Network, the 2021-22 Hidden Treasures Honour Roll recognises volunteering contributions made in those years.

Minister for Women

Bronnie Taylor said more than 1,000 women have been enshired on the honour roll since 2010, each nominated by a member of their local community.

“Women play an important role in community development and making rural NSW a great place to live and it is important we honour their contributions to ensure that voluntary work is valued and respected,” she said.

“Whether it’s supporting individuals or groups within their communities through volunteering in aged care, emergency services, environmental management, health, sport, education and tourism, women are often the unsung heroes behind the scenes who keep our communities connected.

“They do this freely and without fanfare but they are the backbone of our communities and our society simply wouldn’t function effectively without them, so it’s incredibly important to take the opportunity to sing their praises and celebrate their signifcant contributions.”

Hidden Treasures is a project of the Rural

Women’s Network, a state-wide initiative of Women NSW that is funded by a $3.7 million investment from the NSW Government.

For more information and a full list of the 2021 and 2022 Hidden Treasures Honour Roll awardees, visit nsw.gov. au/women-nsw/ruralwomens-network.