The importance of teaching children about farming at school

Gugs Mhlungu spoke to principal of Hoërskool Bekker, Alex Rademan.  

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below.

Agriculture plays an essential role in society and its maintenance.

Teaching children about farming and agriculture at a school level is said to have several benefits.

Hoërskool Bekker is the only agricultural school in Gauteng with a fully working farm.

The co-ed school is 89 years old and has about 750 pupils.

"The grade eights, they have got agricultural studies and they go down to the farm and they do have their own vegetable gardens and we teach them chicken, sheep and cattle farming - the whole process. The kids are hands-on on the farm." 

- Alex Rademan, Hoërskool Bekker principal

"We take them through the whole process. In vegetable farming, we take them from planting and growing and then we use them in our hostel. We do the same with the meat, we have our own butchery at the school and we take them through the meat process plant as well."

- Alex Rademan, Hoërskool Bekker principal

"We need good farmers in South Africa, not just in South Africa but abroad. When the kids finish here, they can do almost anything and anything can be connected to farming these days."

- Alex Rademan, Hoërskool Bekker principal

Rademan adds that the school also has the normal academic subjects that you will find at any other school.

According to an article by the Agricultural Recruitment Specialists, these are reasons why agriculture and farming should be taught in schools:

1. Includes Knowledge About Basic Survival Skills

Agricultural education can help students learn about several basic survival skills. Students will know how to differentiate between some poisonous and non-poisonous growths in addition to learning more about growing their own food.

2. Helps Students Understand Where Their Food Comes From

Including agriculture and farming as major disciplines during schooling will help all children understand food production and management. This knowledge adds to their exposure and helps them better understand the seasonality of crops, harvesting and transportation.

3. Provides Key Nutritional Knowledge

Knowing more about agriculture and farming will increase their knowledge about the nutritional value their food contains. Most kids do not know how to determine which foods are better for them nutritionally and which aren't.

4. Combines Knowledge from Several Disciplines

Determining which plants thrive in a specific climate will teach them about basic geological and climate differences between regions. They will also need to explore biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics to make critical calculations and estimations about crop plantation and harvesting.

5. Encourages Responsible Consumption

If children know how much effort goes into producing a single morsel of food, they are less likely to waste food when they are younger and as adults. This responsible behaviour can transform the food industry and encourage conversations about sustainable living.

6. Keeps Them Physically Active

Farming and agriculture are intense disciplines to learn about, and their practical application is physically demanding. By including them in academic curriculums, schools can help make students more physically active, thus strengthening them physically and mentally. Such activities will also build their stamina, which increases a person's endurance.

7. Making Agriculture and/or Farming a Career Choice

By being educated in schools on this vital part of the economy, it may aid them to consider this sector in career choices, whereas they may never had of considered it before, without having being educated on it and what it entails.

Scroll up to listen to the full interview.