Most of us in the ag sector are aware of the great work that Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) does to build meaningful connections to agriculture and food for students and teachers across Canada. This program not only inspires youth to gain a deeper understanding and develop a stronger connection to the food production system, but it also shows the potential of the many ways to join the ag industry in the future. If you don’t already know about the incredible programs and resources available through this organization, get involved with AITC in your province or with AITC Canada.
The mission of Canadian Food Focus is similar to AITC’s in that we’re also working to build stronger engagement and awareness of food and farming in this country. The difference is that AITC specifically works with teachers and students whereas Canadian Food Focus engages with consumers outside the classroom—a huge audience that we target through several strategic approaches.
Canadian Food Focus is very proud to work with Agriculture in the Classroom to share videos, articles and other information that showcase Canadian farming and food to teachers as well as other consumers.
“Canadian Food Focus has fantastic information about agriculture, and we want to amplify this to our audiences,” said Chandra Gusikoski, Communications Manager for Agriculture in the Classroom in Saskatchewan. “We regularly promote Canadian Food Focus to our teachers because it’s a source of accurate, balanced, and current information about food and agriculture.”
In September, AITC Saskatchewan began a social campaign to make teachers more aware of the information available on Canadian Food Focus, highlighting articles and videos such as “How Does a Combine Work?”, “How are Dairy Farmers Using Robots in the Barn?”, “What is Genetic Engineering?” and many others. The Canadian Food Focus YouTube channel alone has more than 500 videos, so it is a treasure trove of information for teachers looking to show their students what Canadian farming and food looks like.
Collaborations like this partnership with AITC are fundamental to Canadian Food Focus and have been since the program first launched in 2019.
“We have always sought ways that we can work with others to achieve more,” said Dorothy Long, Managing Director for Canadian Food Focus. “We don’t have the time or inclination to reinvent the wheel here. Our mission is to engage consumers about farming and food, so we work with others to take the information that they are developing about their sector and make it available to consumers in the ways that they are looking for it. We’re pleased to see this approach is working!”
Have a look at the many resources available on canadianfoodfocus.org or find out more about our work to engage with consumers: cffpartners.org
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