Don’t shy away from agriculture

THE School Gardens Project to be adopted by schools in the national education system should lay the foundation for students to actually take agricultural studies at the tertiary level.
It is already a concern that not many students in the country are taking agricultural studies despite having the opportunity to be an agricultural nation.
The project, once rolled out, is expected to strengthen agricultural education, nutrition and self-reliance in schools.
This approach will provide a sustainable revenue raising and food producing asset for schools as well as being a practical education tool for agricultural and nutrition education.
It will complement the department’s self-reliance policy, which emphasises schools generating 10 per cent revenue through self-reliance activities and projects to support their annual budgets. The new policy will align with the national education plan 2020-2029, linking with the self reliance, school learning improvement plan, small to medium enterprise and water, sanitation and hygiene policies and the national curriculum framework.
Already, there is growing concern worldwide that young people have become disenchanted with agriculture.
To think more than 80 per cent of Papua New Guinea’s population live in rural areas and practice subsistence agriculture, the majority of people are highly dependent on the country’s forests and rivers for their food security and to meet basic needs.
The agriculture sector has always been the backbone of PNG’s economy and successful partnership programmes are needed in addressing impediments in growth. The common misconceptions about why students do not take up studies in the agricultural field is that it is only limited to farming and animal husbandry.
What many do not realise is that agriculture provides a wide range of career opportunities for students so studying agriculture could be a way for many to find success as well.
While agricultural programmes are widely available at the tertiary level, they are even less common at the primary and secondary level of education.
Many young people, especially in developing countries, tend to shy away from agriculture.
One way to get them interested in taking up agricultural studies is to engage them in agriculture in their early schooling years.
Education secretary Dr Uke Kombra said by strengthening agricultural education in secondary schools, the new policy will support the Government’s goal to develop the agriculture sector, which supports the livelihoods of 80 per cent of our population.
The school system is a key way to improve the prospects of young people to earn a living through agriculture
While we know agriculture based on knowledge passed on from our fathers, we should now adapt to the changing practice in the world.
At the same time, concerns over climate change and its adverse effects on food security and environmental degradation are rising.
The trend is changing.
The trend is growing.
Support for the agriculture sector is increasing.
Attitudes toward agriculture are already changing.
Young people are now speaking up for themselves on why they choose agriculture and they should be encouraged and supported especially at an early age.
There is no denying the importance of general education as it lays the foundation for a child’s future, but the agriculture curriculum can also equip students with practical life skills that can help them in both their future personal and professional lives.
Strengthening agriculture can produce positive ripple effects in a country’s economy.
Investments in agricultural development can help at reducing poverty.
The school garden project should be supported by all Papua New Guineans.