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Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week

Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week is fast approaching and quickly gaining momentum across the country! Educators are aware today’s youth are, more often than not, generations removed from the farm. Many students do not fully understand how the food they eat is grown and how it gets to their dinner plates. Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week is a fantastic way to introduce the exciting world of agriculture and get your students thinking about food production. There are many ways you can incorporate agricultural literacy into your classroom:

• Invite a guest speaker to read a grade-appropriate book about farming and encourage them to tell their story on how they help this very important industry.
• Have a farmer visit your classroom, such as a dairy or beef producer, or a strawberry or potato grower. Engaging with a farmer would help the students explore the fascinating world of agriculture.
• A local agricultural industry rep could also visit and discuss how they help farmers with tractors, fertilizers, banking, or veterinary medicine.
• Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week allows students to see the faces of agriculture and provide them with a better understanding of soil science, sustainable agriculture practices, and food production.

If you are unable to bring a guest speaker into your classroom, your school library may have a few agriculture-related books you can share throughout the week. When Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week is finished, keep the momentum going by continuing the conversation. There are a lot of ideas you can incorporate in your own classroom. These are our suggestions:

• Grow wheatgrass in paper cups for a couple of weeks with your students, and then make healthy wheatgrass smoothies. Past students have always enjoyed the wheatgrass smoothies.
• Plant leaf lettuce seeds on a windowsill and celebrate with a salad a few weeks later. Students get excited and engaged about hands-on learning, and learning food production is a skill that they can foster for the rest of their lives.
• To elevate the conversation and hands-on learning, your school can create a learning garden. Growing produce for the Fall Harvest, an annual celebration, or to contribute to a salad bar in the cafeteria is an outstanding school project. Learning gardens allow students to collaborate, work hands-on, and discover the excitement of soil science and sustainable agriculture.
• Invite your local Nutrients for Life Educational Coordinator to your classroom! Educational Coordinators work with local schools, teachers and community organizations to implement Nutrients for Life resources into classrooms.

The ideas are endless on how you can implement agricultural and food literacy in your classroom. Engaging your students in the classroom and school about food production can also help foster healthy lifestyles and healthier food choices. Get involved and begin the conversation during Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week!