Grainswest - Winter 2024

Winter 2024 grainswest.com 13 BY IAN DOIG • PHOTO COURTESY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT NETWORK “For us, the main motivation is less about teaching agricultural skills, and more about giving kids something hands-on and engaging to be excited about.” —Jennifer Bowden Funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Rural Devel- opment formed an advisory board and launched a pilot project to create the FarmEd Toolkit. It conducted a series of focus groups with students and staff at Altario and a handful of schools that had expressed interest in farm programming. An advisory committee representing agri- culture and education organizations also participated. While Altario served as a model for the project, Picture Butte High School and Irvine School participated in 2022 as pilot project partners while they built their programs. Their work in turn shaped the final version of the Toolkit, and the document now serves as a guide for communities and schools to invent their own farm programs. Jennifer Bowden, an off-campus teacher for the Palliser School Division, led the Picture Butte High School FarmEd pilot program effort, following a year-long bee club project in which she and the students set up several hives. The guid- ance and brainstorming assistance the school received during the pilot project were very constructive, she said. Through the school’s current farm programming, students can receive Alberta Education credits as well as Green Certificate credits through Lethbridge College. Picture Butte principal Mark Lowe manages the program while Brian Bergsma is its lead teacher. A successful application for a Farm to Cafeteria Canada grant of $10,000, plus $6,500 from the Lethbridge Community Foundation and school board funding further boosted the program. A total of $65,000 in grants has covered most startup costs. The school’s FarmEd pro- gram now includes an aquaponic system to raise fish, a hydroponics system and a greenhouse. In the warm months, two coops house 15 laying hens. “Our present program includes an ag business wing run by our students,” said Lowe. “We try to be innovative with things like creating a partnership with local restaurants to supply their lettuce needs and help other schools start up FarmEd programs.” “For us, the main motivation is less about teaching agricultural skills, and more about giving kids something hands- on and engaging to be excited about,” said Bowden. The students have responded enthusiastically. “There’s an element of connection and bonding. This kind of camaraderie is difficult to replicate.” Farm students develop a wide variety of applied skills. They have learned to weld and build fences, and they’ve con- structed and shingled chicken coops. The program has also formed new learning opportunities across the curriculum. The school’s mechanic students repaired and maintained the farm’s temperamental rototiller and art students designed a farm logo. “The program is a great opportunity to expand your learning about the whole agriculture system—where food comes from and how it’s grown and produced,” said Campmans. “The FarmEd program opened my eyes. It helped me find what I really like is advocacy for agriculture.” She has been accepted into the Olds College Agricultural Management program to major in agricultural production. Her education plan also includes attending university for an applied science degree and earning a communications certificate. The online FarmEd Toolkit is available to schools free of charge. As well as laying out methods of governance, it provides guidance on how to build engagement with community, school boards and teach- ers. To finance facilities, infrastructure and the purchase of animals and supplies, it also tackles community fundraising, institutional grants and sponsorship. Belanger stressed the process to create a farm program is unique to each school. She encourages schools to contact Rural Development for assistance with tasks such as preparation of funding applica- tions. Schools with existing programs can also provide guidance. Van Lagen recommended each school take an approach that fits its unique goals and generate support from students and the community. “What the pilot schools and the Altario School really emphasize is the success of the program really depend- ed on getting student buy-in and making sure the students and the staff were really involved in its design.” In the hands of a motivated team, with the leadership of “project champions” such as staff and community members, the Toolkit is “an awesome blueprint,” said Van Lagen. Like Belanger, he emphasized the Toolkit is not a step-by-step guide. “It’s really a product to help you customize your own program. Use it to complement your vision. “The agriculture industry is extremely supportive, and they put their money where their mouth is,” he added. “They love that students get involved in agri- culture at a younger age. It’s their future workforce, and the future of agriculture. Many farms don’t necessarily have a succession plan in place. We’re building solutions for that.” For more information, visit ruraldevelopment.ca/resources.