The British Columbia Agriculture Council wants more people to be aware of farmers’ contributions.
So it started a campaign to help urban residents and politicians understand how agriculture contributes to daily life.
The council, which represents various commodity groups, is using public speaking, tractor parades, school videos, agricultural festivals and the web to get its message out.
The website, located at www.AgAware.BC.ca, is a focus for communication.
“People, especially in bigger centres, are forgetting about the importance of agriculture and they’re losing touch with their roots,” said Nico Human, co-ordinator of the campaign.
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Human was a speaker at the National Agricultural Awareness Conference in Saskatoon on Oct. 23.
He said the B.C. campaign was started so youth could learn where food comes from.
“Some of the young kids grow up and they don’t know simple little things in agriculture like where milk comes from. To them it’s just another commodity.”
Human said he met a young boy who thought milk comes from Safeway.
“This boy lives in West Vancouver and never sees a cow.”
Human said his group is also getting into the classrooms and giving teachers more information about agriculture. Human said the curriculum in B.C. is weak in this area.
“B.C. is very much tourism. You see fancy cruise ships, trains, but you never see farms.”
The program will include inviting the public to tour farms and using the website to ask questions and share information.
There is also a large agricultural festival that includes choirs from around the province, which are invited to sing songs related to agriculture. The top three choirs will perform in a gala event in Vancouver or Victoria on Nov.14 and receive $250.
Human said the goal is to help urban people gain a greater awareness of agriculture and its role in their lives.
