Farmer Time brings farming into thee

Positive feedback’ has helped a rural focused education programme grow

Despite challenges last year, including adverse weather, the ongoing impact of Covid19 and teacher strikes, the Farmer Time for Schools programme not only survived a second year, but grew participation by 8 per cent.

Farmer Time for Schools connects New Zealand school students and teachers with farmers nationwide, introducing young New Zealanders to rural life and the farmers behind our food.

Last year almost 1100 students participated.

National co-ordinator Marie

Burke said being involved with Farmer Time for Schools and witnessing its growth has been amazing.

“The overwhelmingly positive feedback from both farmers and teachers reaffirms to me the importance and value of this initiative. I am really proud to be a part of it.

“Our next focus is to recruit more schools and teachers. We have many farmers eager to participate, but currently face a shortage of teachers.”

From humble beginnings at the start of 2022, with just eight farmerteacher pairs forming the pilot group, Farmer Time for Schools has expanded significantly.

By the end of last year, 95 teacher-farmer pairs and 2115 students had experienced Farmer Time for Schools over the two years.

The programme has also evolved so it is now open to both urban and rural schools.

“We received numerous requests from rural schools eager to join the programme. Initially, we underestimated the potential impact on rural schools, assuming they might not benefit as much from Farmer Time for Schools,” said Burke.

“However, it became clear that even children attending rural schools may lack food production knowledge.

“Because we go through a very thorough matching process, we can ensure we match each class with a farm type that best suits them and the programme can be tailored to suit their needs.”

In the recent annual survey conducted by Farmer Time for Schools, participants provided positive feedback. S

Survey results revealed that all teacher respondents found Farmer Time for Schools offered a valuable learning experience for their class, while all farmer respondents expressed enjoyment in connecting with students through the online sessions.

Further key results from the survey include:

• Teacher feedback indicates that Farmer Time for Schools allows for an array of applied learning scenarios, particularly for science and maths.

■ All responding teachers felt that Farmer Time for Schools helped students develop a greater awareness of the work food producers do and introduced them to career options in the primary industries.

■ All responding farmers believe that introducing Farmer Time for Schools to as many schools as possible would result in a positive impact on the future of farming in New Zealand.

Sandra Howard, a teacher at Tamatea Intermediate in Hawkes Bay, believes the programme is extremely beneficial.

Matched with Southland farmers Colin and Dot McDonald, Howard says by actively participating and connecting with our farmers regularly her students acquired a multifaceted education that extended beyond the classroom, fostering a holistic understanding of food production, environmental sustainability, and community engagement.

The McDonalds also speak very highly of their Farmer Time for Schools experience.

“We love it and have found it quite therapeutic as the kids are so pro-farming and interested in everything.”

Having had the same class for two years, the McDonalds made a big impression.

Dot says they were asking what sort of jobs they could do in agriculture, one asked how a town girl could become a shepherd.

“These kids have had a tiny