Fed Farmers: TeenAg is an investment in the country's future

Federated Farmers education and skills portfolio leader Rick Powdrell. Photo / John Borren

Federated Farmers sees the $146,000 for TeenAg as an investment in the nation's future.

Federated Farmers education and skills portfolio leader Rick Powdrell says if we're to meet the goal of doubling exports by 2025, a vital component was boosting the number, and skills level, of young people choosing a career in the primary industries.

"We need quality and motivated people to drive productivity and efficiency goals and to deal with the increasingly complex technological advances in farming," says Mr Powdrell.

"The dairy industry in particular is crying out for keen young Kiwis as we work to reduce our reliance on migrant labour.

"Leadership abilities are another key, and developing those skills is what TeenAg is all about," says Mr Powdrell.

Minister for Youth Nikki Kaye says TeenAg aimed to promote a positive picture of agriculture and raise awareness of agricultural careers from an early age.

TeenAg consists of two core elements:

- Schools-based TeenAg Clubs, which provide a context to learn about agriculture and develop leadership and broader life skills.

- TeenAg competitions, which extend and challenge competitors outside their comfort zones to build character and leadership skills. These can be a stepping stone to participation in the high-profile and prestigious FMG Young Farmers competition when the students are older and working in the industry.

These and other programmes run by Young Farmers increasingly target city kids as well as those living in rural districts.

"A few decades ago just about every young Kiwi probably had a relative or friend with a farm who could expose them to agriculture," Mr Powdrell says.

"Nowadays it takes an effort to ensure those who may otherwise not experience farming get chances to not only learn more about where the food on their plate comes from, but also to see the sector as offering really attractive, diverse and rewarding career options."