Agriculture & you
The ‘Agriculture & You’ initiative teaches children about agriculture in a playful way - including in a children's book, an audio play and a participatory website.
With the ‘Agriculture & You’ project, the Ministry of Agriculture has developed information measures to teach children, who hardly ever come into contact with agriculture in their everyday lives, more about agriculture and the EU's common agricultural policy in a playful way.
The centrepiece of the project is a large children's book with a story, factual information and QR codes that link to a participatory website on the topic. There is also a radio play, a mini-book, animated videos, teaching material and a mini-garden set.
The ‘Agriculture & you’ project
The project is run by the Ministry of Agriculture and is funded by the European Commission as part of the IMCAP programme.
In addition to giving children a general understanding of agriculture and food, it also aims to familiarise them with the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy and the impact it has on their daily lives. The project aims to arouse children's curiosity about these topics at an early age and to raise their awareness in a sustainable way.
Children with different learning styles are addressed through a mix of diverse, child-friendly and playfully designed materials. They accompany siblings Hanna and Theo to the farm and learn about the background of food production, recognise the value of our farmers' work and are motivated to handle food consciously. In this way, the project sensitises children as future consumers, but also their parents.
Children's book, radio play, interactive website and more
Two characters, the siblings Hanna and Theo, accompany the children throughout the project. They go on holiday to the farm with their family and learn a lot about farming in funny and exciting situations. Not only do they visit a mountain pasture and make their own cheese, they also rescue a kid from a thunderstorm and witness the birth of two calves. By the end, the whole family has learnt how much time and effort goes into food production and is more conscious about how they use food. The information resources can be used both in schools and by children - alone or with their parents - at home.
The children's book and two mini-books were sent to all Austrian primary schools together with information about the project. These schools were able to order mini-books and two mini-gardens per class free of charge for all children in the third and fourth grades (while stocks last). Teaching materials tailored to the curriculum are also available for download.
At home, the children can experience the story of Hanna and Theo in the radio play and immerse themselves in agriculture on the interactive website www.landwirtschaft-und-du.at via interactive learning elements and videos as well as in-depth information.
