Connecting Food and Fibre Education

This report highlights case studies from around the world that showcase food and fibre education excellence that can be used as models to build immersive experiences for Australian primary school students in the classroom and beyond. Successful programs from Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, and New Zealand were explored and referenced.

This report emphasises the need for collaboration, transparency, and a whole-sector approach to creating more connected food and fibre education in Australia. By working together and providing a unified food and fibre education platform, the next generation can be engaged through programs that fill their ‘agbags’.

Programs must use a common language, remove sector-based silos and nuances, connect to a common foundation in the Australian Curriculum, and represent modern Australian agriculture.

Food and fibre education resources should encourage the use of technology while providing tactile experiences for students through incursions and excursions where possible. A centralised hub of digital and physical resources should allow the ordering of samples, and the downloading of editable, regularly updated classroom resources that are customisable to each teacher’s needs.

The Australian agriculture industry needs to invest long-term in food and fibre education programs and halt short-term programs. There is a need for relationship-building programs that focus on impact to all stakeholders, rather than transactional programs driven by resource downloads or video views.

The next generation of engineers, plant scientists, farmers, geneticists, agricultural journalists, agronomists, veterinarians, and marine biologists are sitting in our classrooms. To attract them into agriculture, there is a strong need for reinvigorated delivery of food and fibre education that is modern, collaborative, inclusive, accessible, and showcases the whole agriculture industry from paddock to plate, from field to fabric, from forest to furniture, and from ocean to entrée.

Accessibility: For increased accessibility, this report has been recorded as a podcast read by the author. To listen to the podcast search “Aimee Snowden + Nuffield” on Spotify.