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Showing kids that the primary sector is an exciting, science driven industry with great opportunities for bright young talent has become a significant challenge for New Zealand.
In recent years there has been an increasingly negative portrayal of agriculture and its environmental impact in popular media and this is turning kids off a career in our country's most important industry.
What a tragedy for New Zealand. Despite our grass feed systems being some of the most efficient and innovative globally they are often criticised by the New Zealand public who are poorly informed with regard to nutrient management and sustainable primary sector production.
This emerging capability gap has recently been identified by the Ministry for Primary Industries and together with the Ministry of Education, work has begun on solutions that will ensure our primary industries have the future capability required.
A paper published in June titled: 'Future Capability needs for the Primary Industries in New Zealand' highlighted just how important it is to attract young people to our primary industries.
One of the strongest themes emerging being the need to build upon work already underway between primary industries and schools.
How can the primary industry increase the content of industry relevant material packaged in a way that makes it curriculum relevant and suitable for use in schools learning and teaching programmes?
Many in the primary sector have been pondering this very question. Last year the Fertiliser Quality Council, recognising the challenge that fertilisers are often viewed as environmental contaminants rather than a key component of sustainable food production, piloted a tablet-based, curriculum-centred education resource.
The tablet explores the balance of maintaining environmental integrity whilst applying fertilisers to ensure economic crop yields.
Teachers see value in a tool that ticks the curriculum boxes for science but also provides support for professional development and community involvement.
Given the focus of the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ministry of Education the timing is good to take the pilot resource, Plants, Soil and Society, to full development. The Fertiliser Quality Council, in conjunction with 10 other primary sector organisations, are pulling together a Sustainable Farming Fund application which will provide funds for this to occur.
Using primary sector examples to develop teaching and learning resources for schools is something that DairyNZ have already initiated. Others in the primary sector are also beginning to understand the value of this type of investment.
By making primary industry examples part of engaging and innovative education resources, kids can see that primary industries are innovative, science-driven and dynamic. If we can get kids thinking about careers in science, business, marketing and resource management with a sound understanding of productive environments, then our primary sector will enjoy the benefits that enthusiastic and informed graduates will provide.