Agriculture in the Classroom, a Manitoba program with the goal of increasing agricultural awareness among students, has set its sights on a much larger target audience – the entire province.
In a few weeks the outreach program will launch Faces of Agriculture. The project has the ambitious goal of bridging the growing gap between the field and the plate.
“We want to take it past the classroom, to the consumer and to the general public,” said Johanne Ross, executive director of the provincial Agriculture in the Classroom.
Read Also
Nutritious pork packed with vitamins, essential minerals
Recipes for pork
The idea is to identify champions of agriculture who will be the faces of the education campaign. Ross expects these leaders to speak across Manitoba and connect with the public through calendars and other promotions.
A spokesperson for the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council (MRAC), the primary sponsor of the new program, said Faces of Agriculture will help consumers discover who produces their bacon, bread and beer.
“We called it Faces of Agriculture because they (the public) seem to put a real importance on knowing the person that’s producing their food,” said Shelley Curé of MRAC.
The new program evolved from a study funded by MRAC to learn more about the gap between farmers and average Manitobans. The study identified key demographics, like young adults, who are not getting or hearing the positive story of food production in the province.
Ross unveiled the program April 9 in Winnipeg at Agriculture in the Classroom’s annual general meeting.
Faces of Agriculture will have a budget of $130,000 over the next three years, with MRAC picking up 85 percent of the cost. Contributions from businesses and agencies that partner with the program are to cover the remainder.
When asked why Faces of Agriculture is needed, Ross said co-operation is essential to spread the positive message of modern farming.
“Everybody is doing something, but we feel there isn’t a real collaborative effort happening,” she said. “It’s basically an agriculture communication effort, as opposed to specific commodities.”
The campaign is in the infancy stage, however, because potential faces have not been identified yet.
“That will be the first job of the Faces of Agriculture co-ordinator,” said Ross, who added they expect to hire that person within the next few weeks.
Curé can’t wait for the project to get off the ground because she is committed to spreading the good news about farming.
“I really believe in farming,” said Curé, who grew up on a farm and lives in St. Pierre, Man. “I’m proud of our industry … and I just think it’s a story that has to be told.”
