Although Johanne Ross grew up in the city, family meant the farm was never too far away.
Ross, who studied agriculture and eventually settled on a farm, is a passionate advocate for agriculture. Today she works to connect youths — many of whom have never been on a farm themselves — with the people that produce their food.
"My dad was involved on the grain industry side and so there was always agriculture in our house and that kind of discussion around our table,” said Ross, who brings the farm to children across the country as the Chair of Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Canada.
Throughout the year, AITC conducts events, tours and classroom visits that promote agricultural awareness and address misconceptions about how food is produced.
“I think if a farmer tells their story, people really trust that, because it’s so very personal for the farmer,” said Ross.
“It’s about connecting the people to the people. That becomes more of an emotional experience than just a lesson. They feel very much a part of what they’ve learned and they can look at things in a new light.”
No question too small
In March, AITC celebrated Agriculture Literacy Week with interactive classroom visits that brought farmers and industry representatives into elementary schools to discuss their work.
“The knowledge gap is huge. Some students just think the food shows up in the grocery stores,” said Sara Shymko, Executive Director of AITC Saskatchewan. “They don’t really understand that somebody is out there growing food.”
In Western Canada, these AITC volunteers visited hundreds of classrooms, where they shared their stories with thousands of students. Representatives from across the agricultural sector pitched in, including many from Co-ops across the Prairies.
“Co-ops are proud to work with farmers and consumers, so this was an exciting and rewarding opportunity,” said Alex Jewell, Marketing Specialist for Federated Co-operatives Limited’s (FCL) Crop Supplies Department.
Jewell was one of 10 representatives from FCL that led classroom discussions.
“By fostering dialogue between communities, we can promote awareness about the sustainable agricultural practices at work on farms today and empower today’s youths to make informed decisions in the future about the food they eat.”
AITC in demand
AITC has already reached hundreds of thousands of young Canadians and demand for the program is growing.
The organization is beginning to engage with teenagers, who are asking serious questions about hot-button issues, while the number of elementary classroom visits is growing — all of which organizers see as a sign of success, although there is always need for more.
“The one thing we notice is the more times we can reach a student, the greater the impact is and it compounds,” said Shymko. “So I can notice a difference in the urban classrooms that have been involved in more than three of our initiatives. Those kids really get a good understanding.”
