A DISSOCIATION between students and where their food comes from is behind the National Farmers' Federation's (NFF) push for $5 million government investment in primary industries education in the Australian curriculum.
Growing concern about students' lack of agricultural knowledge is why the Primary Industries Education Foundation (PIEF) campaigned for the NFF 2013-14 budget submission, which calls for $5m over four years for Food and Fibre resources from kindergarten to Year 12 and professional learning for 6000 teachers a year, launched at last week's YAPs Yoghurt Grows on Trees forum in Lorne.
PIEF chief executive Ben Stockwin (pictured) said educators were calling for the development of online cross-curricular resources, while providing teachers with primary industries-focused professional learning.
Mr Stockwin said an increasing disconnect between city and country had resulted in agriculture being eliminated from the mainstream curriculum.
"With that (disconnect) comes an increase in misperceptions that large-scale agriculture might be seen as evil or environmentally damaging in some way," he said.
Modelled on the UK's successful Farming and Countryside Education program, the funding would equip teachers with the tools to confidently teach students about Australia's rich agricultural industries.
Mr Stockwin said the cross-curricula resources would address all learning areas such as food and fibre's connection to science, geography and maths.
If supported by the Federal and State governments, the funding would provide professional learning through existing teacher organisations and increase their knowledge and confidence to deliver the content.
Mr Stockwin said he would expect an announcement from the Liberal Coalition or Labor Party supporting the submission in some form.
"$5m sounds like a lot from an agricultural perspective but when it is compared to some of the mainstream (education) needs, $5m is really a bargain basement approach," he said.
PIEF already provided further education to 1000 educators who teach food and fibre content but were struggling to reach the 250,000 Australian teachers because of limited funding.
"The additional funding will allow us to put in the hands of every teacher in Australia a resource that is easy to use and that they can teach," he said.
