Investing in Alberta’s youth
For the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions, kids education has always been an important area of investment. Not only does it help to bridge the rural and urban gap in the province, it also builds public trust. It has long been the cornerstone of the commissions’ consumer outreach.
"A survey completed by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) indicated that 93 per cent of respondents knew little, very little or nothing about farming, however; over 60 per cent indicated that they wanted to learn more." — Country Guide online
The value of a young child or junior high school student experiencing agriculture for the first time is a fulfilling moment for the commissions’ team and farmers. The commissions have and continue to make concerted efforts to expand our kids education offerings and leverage technology and curriculum ties to make agriculture education more attractive and accessible to teachers in Alberta.
Back in July 2019, the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions developed a new kids education booth for events that leverages augmented reality technology and youth affinity for tablets and phones. This booth has proven to engage the younger audience, teach them about where and how wheat and barley are grown, and the end-use products they can find in their grocery store. Despite the challenges with the cancellation of many kids education opportunities over the last two years due to COVID-19, the commissions look forward to bringing Wally and Betty’s Grain Gallery booth to our urban grade four and five students at this year’s community events. Look for Wally and Betty’s Grain Gallery at Aggie Days in Calgary and Lethbridge and at the Calgary Stampede!
A relatively new initiative that the commissions have become involved in is project AGRICULTURE! Project AGRICULTURE is an online resource for Alberta teachers and students and integrates learning across grades four, five and six education curriculums. This online resource provides educators opportunities to explore agricultural themes, topics, issues and challenges in local and global contexts and encourages students to interact with each other, their school community, farmers and content experts. The crops portion of project AGRICULTURE will be launched this spring and will be making the rounds at various teacher conventions throughout the province. Alberta Canola, Alberta Pulse Growers, Alberta Milk, Egg Producers of Alberta, Alberta Chicken, Alberta Turkey, Alberta Hatching Egg Producers and the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions are jointly involved in providing this important resource. To learn more, check out projectagriculture.ca.
The commissions know that kids education doesn’t stop in the classroom. Life’s Simple Ingredient, the Alberta Wheat Commission’s consumer campaign invests $200,000 annually to educate consumers of all ages on the nutritional benefits and sourcing of Canadian wheat. While the initiative is mainly geared toward household decision makers, content such as family-friendly recipes and crafts encourage getting kids involved. Check out the consumer initiative at lifessimpleingredient.com.
Building a comprehensive youth education program is imperative for the commissions as a way to build public trust and a greater pride in our dynamic and innovative agriculture industry. The commissions look forward to the future of these projects and hope to encourage awareness with our youngest consumers.