in the classroom
There is a real lack of understanding about the sector and the job opportunities .
Farm fresh
New program aims to inspire young people to take up a career in agriculture .
By Wade Zaglas
Weribee-based horticulture business Velisha Farms has started up a program for local primary school students to learn the “ tricks of the agriculture trade ”.
The program is described as “ hands-on ” and covers the full gamut of the agricultural process “ from planting and harvesting to packaging and distribution ”, all with the end goal of “ inspiring young students to pursue careers in agriculture ”.
Asked why the appeal to enter agriculture has waned over the decades , managing director Catherine Velisha said : “ I think one of our biggest hurdles in agriculture is how we are portrayed across the media . Agriculture ( horticulture ) is often spoken about from a scarcity mindset : What ’ s wrong ? What ’ s lacking ?
“ We ( producers ) aren ’ t very good at sharing our stories ; many of them are stories of achievement and success . Our family businesses are the original ‘ start ups ’. Grandparents and great grandparents coming from foreign lands and turning barren soils into successful generational enterprises .
“ These are the stories we need to bring to students , the sales stories , the science stories and the stories of endless opportunities for individuals within our great industry .”
For Velisha Farm ’ s head of education Mark Pullin , the decline in schools offering agricultural and horticultural courses is steering students away from the industry .
“ From an education perspective , we are not encouraging students to understand the agriculture industry in Australia . At the VCE level , there has been a gradual decline of schools offering VCE Agricultural and Horticultural Studies over the past 5-6 years ,” he said .
“ In 2014 there were 32 providers offering the subject with 228 students enrolled , through to 2020 when there were only 24 providers with 186 students enrolled . I believe there is a real lack of understanding about the sector and the job opportunities .
“ The national aim is to see the agriculture industry worth $ 100 billion by 2030 . This is an industry where innovation , technology , artificial intelligence and robotics are needed in order to drive growth .
“ Students don ’ t know what they don ’ t know , and unless we as an industry can provide the information in a clear , concise and consistent way , attracting the next generations of innovative problem solvers will only be a pipedream .”
ABOUT THE PROGRAM The Velisha Farms educational project is funded by the Victorian Farmers Federation ( VFF ) and teaches children not only the agriculture ‘ basics ’, but also the types of careers that are available in the industry and the concept of sustainability .
Students from participating schools go on an excursion where they engage in educational games to learn about core horticultural activities such as planting , growing , harvesting , picking , packaging and distributing fresh produce .
“ Our students toured the facility , entered the cool rooms , weighed veggies , catalogued the crop ... and engaged in a number of rotations that gave scope about the sorts of produce farmed in the area ,” Sarah Cornish , a teacher at the School of the Good Shepherd in Gladstone Park said .
“ Sustainability is an emerging cornerstone value at our school , so it was an extraordinary experience for students to ponder questions like ‘ are there more sustainable practices farms and supermarkets alike could be investing in ?’”
The school is one of several that have received a grant under the VFF ’ s ‘ Kids to Ag ’ program . With the federal government aiming to increase the industry ’ s total value to $ 100 billion by 2030 , more research , development , and human capital will be needed , Pulin says .
“ The sector has evolved , it ’ s not people ’ s perception of what farm work might be , it ’ s a sophisticated business now ,” Pulin emphasises .
“ We are hoping to inspire them to eat more fresh vegetables , and ask different questions about food production and supply chains . But I think what is most exciting is how we get to give tangible knowledge about careers in horticulture to groups of students . We want to teach kids about how veg grows but also how they can grow within our industry ,” Velisha says .
Education Review also asked Pullin whether COVID-19 had forced the sector to rethink where and how it gets it labour force , which has traditionally involved a large numbers of overseas and temporary workers .
“ The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how connected we all are . No one country can try to tackle this alone . Foreign workers are an important part of the agriculture industry , but we also need a long term workforce development plan to attract the best and brightest Australians to our sector ,” he said .
“ We are perfectly placed in Australia to feed the world . If we strengthen the agriculture industry and secure our own food production , it makes sense for us to assist in feeding the world .” ■
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