Tasmania is uniquely poised to make the most of cooperative efforts between agriculture, education and industry to secure a bright future, and an upcoming conference will look at ways to make that future happen.
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International experts have arrived in Launceston to join discussions about how best to tap into the enthusiasm, experience and potential of Tasmania’s crossover of agriculture and education.
The National Association of Agricultural Educators bi-annual conference begins at The Tramsheds on Sunday, and will consider ways to unite disparate funding, organisations and long-term goals to solidify agricultural education, both in Tasmania and nationally.
Hagley Farm School lead agriculture teacher Andrew Harris said a long-term goal of fostering an agricultural college in Tasmania was one idea being mooted – something American experts Dr Jeff Perry and Becky Ireland-Perry are both on board with.
Cornell University senior lecturer in the department of developmental sociology, Dr Perry said the American college system was deeply rooted in agriculture, with the country’s youth confident of securing jobs in the sector.
Working as the 4H coordinator for Cornell with Cortland County in New York, Mrs Ireland-Perry said 4H, as a community-run program, could be an example for Tasmania to follow of one program fostering stronger agricultural education in grades 9-10.
Mr Harris believed such a program could link together Tasmania’s agricultural education in grades 10-12, and generate clearer pathways into agricultural careers.
