Wednesday, 06 December 2017 14:55

Integrate agri into high-school studies

Written by  Peter Burke
Beth Hampton. Beth Hampton.

A New Zealand representative at the recent Youth Ag-Summit in Brussels is arguing for agriculture to be properly integrated into the secondary school curriculum.

Beth Hampton says if it was, more young people would likely make a career in the agri sector.

Hampton has a double-major degree in environmental science and agribusiness. She works for the NZ Environmental Protection Authority and has a passion for science, agriculture and the environment. She was a speaker on the recent teachers’ agri experience tour co-sponsored by Rural News Group.

Hampton grew up in Matamata, but not on a farm. Many of her friends did, and that and her passion for science helped her decide to study environmental science. Then a relative who works in the agri sector pointed her towards agri-business, hence her double degree and desire to work in a job that includes both elements.

Hampton says if agriculture was integrated into the core subjects it would save young people having to take agriculture as a separate subject at the expense of some core subjects. This would expose students to what agriculture is all about, she says.

“There’s a challenge at high schools: kids may be interested in agriculture, but if they were like me and wanted to take chemistry, physics, biology, English and maths - that’s all your five subjects,” she told Rural News.

Hampton believes many teachers are willing to see agriculture integrated, but the schools would need help and resources from industry.

Hampton wrote an essay on this, gaining her a place at the Youth Ag Summit. She also wrote about food wastage, a topic also raised at the summit.

Hampton says about 40% of the food produced is ‘wasted’ in not being used for human consumption. The first stage of addressing this would be to create awareness about it and get people to self-regulate their habits, she says. This would include only buying ‘enough’ food, using leftovers and feeling comfortable taking a ‘doggy bag’ out of a restaurant.

“One issue is setting a consistent metric on food waste. At present food is often deemed wasted when not consumed by humans,” she explains. “But if it goes to another productive use it’s not technically wasted, for example, being fed to animals or used to build up organic matter. That is a productive use and this issue needs to be sorted so that proper strategies can be put in place to deal with it.”

More like this

Rural schools receive over $100,000

Rural primary schools have received more than $109,000 from ANZCO Foods as part of the company’s Sponsor a School Programme, with several recipients located in the South Island.

Too hard to farm

OPINION: Another school farm facing the chopping block is that of Te Awamutu College in Waikato.

Farm closure

OPINION: At a time when some people are working to narrow the rural-urban divide, one Canterbury school is closing its farm.

Featured

Sheep drench resistance costly

Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

National

Knowing bugs means fewer drugs

A mastitis management company claims to deliver the fastest and most accurate mastitis testing available at scale for New Zealand…

Machinery & Products

AGTEK and ARGO part ways

After 12 years of representing the Landini and McCormick brands in New Zealand, Bay of Plenty-based AGTEK and the brands’…

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…

JD unveils its latest beast

John Deere has unveiled its most powerful tractor ever, with the launch of the all new 9RX Series Tractor line-up…

Biggest Quadtrac coming to NZ!

In the biggest announcement that Case IH Australia/New Zealand has made around its tractor range, its biggest tractor is about…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Why?

OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…

Fat to cut

OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter