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Cultivating AgTech: Transforming Farm Education

Hello, fellow education enthusiasts and friends! In my small corner of the internet, I thought I’d talk about something that is relevant and cool to my current teaching context: how AgTech is changing the agricultural business in Australia. Specifically, how technology use can leverage student engagement and achievement in agricultural education. So, if you’re curious about AgTech and the opportunities and challenges this poses for educators of Vocational Education (VET) then read on as I explore this further in upcoming blogs.

(Figure 1: Edmund Rice College., Bindoon WA)

Imagine a massive 3300-hectare farm. Now add high school students who are excited and love being on the land more than in class. And guess what? I am their teacher, the one trying to convince them that semicolons are just exciting as cattle and crops. Yep, not the easiest job! But here’s the best bit, our school is uniquely located, surrounded by a working farm, which means that our students have access to real-world exposure in the agribusiness.

Not every school gets to say that! Every student enrolled in my school is provided with the opportunity to contribute to and learn the agribusiness as part of the studies alongside the traditional learning areas. Cool isn’t it!

So, let’s look at the world of VET Cert II Agriculture. This is where our students learn practical skills for jobs in agriculture, like farming, shearing, land sustainability and animal care. But, like any other teaching discipline this can be tricky. Especially in Australia, where agriculture is kind of a big deal! I mean it is worth approx. $81b (Sullivan, 2022) and is one of the most significant industries in Australia, both in terms of domestic production and exports (Granwal, 2023). Traditional teaching methods struggle to keep students engaged and impart practical, industry-relevant skills that align with the demands of the modern agribusiness sector. This, coupled with the nation’s industrial digital transformation, “AgTech”, which provides tools and data to make better informed decisions that lead to solutions to ensure growth in the agriculture industry in the future adds an additional level of complexity to be considered by trainers delivering a sometimes-outdated curriculum of Cert II Agriculture to their students. The Australian agricultural industry is rapidly evolving, and students need practical, industry-relevant skills that will help them thrive in this dynamic landscape.

(Figure 2: Equine Incursion. ERC 2023)

But (and it’s a big BUT), some of the stuff taught is straight from the history books. Imagine trying to teach someone about the latest shearing techniques and equipment using an outdated shearing piece and method. Not exactly helpful nor relevant for graduating students, right? Plus … budgets. Every school juggles a budget and ours is no different. And let us not forget that not all teachers and trainers are tech wizards and nor do they want to be … Some (yep me) are still struggling with the correct (over) use of emojis!

Nonetheless technology is the superhero! Technology is cool and it certainly changes the way students can learn about agriculture. In future posts, I will explore how technology is changing agricultural and implications this has for my school. From electronic identification discs to drone use for crunching big data to make better farming decisions – it’s all interesting stuff. So, stay tuned for the next blog of this series, where I’ll delve into the world of AgTech and how it is shaping the future of farming and learning in our school. It’s going to be awesome!

(Figure 3: Equine Yards – ERC 2022)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL9qn6P8D1k

References

Alberto A.P. Cattaneo, C. A. (Vo. 176, 2022). How digitalised are vocational teachers? Assessing digital competence in vocational education and looking at its underlying factors,. Science Direct.

Barnett, K. &. (2005 ). Lessons and challenges: Vocational Education in Schools - Research Overview . Australia: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

Cowling, D. R. (2022 , January 6). Thinking about how technology can support pedagogy in Vocational Education. Retrieved from Media and Learning : https://media-and-learning.eu/type/featured-articles/thinking-about-how-technology-can-support-pedagogy-in-vocational-education/

Granwal, L. (2023, April 28). Statisca: Empowering people with data. Retrieved from Agriculture in Australia - statistics & facts: https://www.statista.com/topics/5303/agriculture-industry-in-australia/#topicOverview

Maxwell, R. (2023). How Technology Will Revolutionise Vocational Education and Training (VET). Retrieved from VERTO : https://www.verto.org.au/blog/how-technology-will-revolutionise-vocational-education-and-training-vet

OECD . (2021, February 11). Teaching and learning in VET: Providing effective practical training in school-based settings. Retrieved from OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19): https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/teaching-and-learning-in-vet-providing-effective-practical-training-in-school-based-settings-64f5f843/

Sullivan, K. (2022). ABARES forecasts value of Australian agriculture to hit $81b in 2021-22, a new record. ABC Rural .

Wibrow, B., & Circelli, M. &. (2020). VET’s response to Industry 4.0 and the digital economy: what works. Adelaide, Australia: National Centre for Vocational Education Research.