The first Kentucky Agriculture Education Week will take place March 17-21. Officials said the initiative is designed to teach kids about where their food comes from and hopefully inspire a few to become farmers one day.
Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman said it’s important that Kentucky addresses the aging farmer workforce.
“The average farmer in Kentucky is 57 years old and the number of family farms is in decline,” said Coleman. “Which means we are facing an aging farming population and with every passing generation more and more kids understand where their food comes from.”
Coleman said the goal is to reach the youngest groups of kids with fun, interactive, hands-on learning experiences.
Kentucky has more than 180 agricultural programs and 320 agricultural teachers. Kentucky Department of education commissioner Robbie Fletcher said the initiative will empower young students by teaching them the importance of agriculture.
“Teachers will be able to connect agriculture to real life skills by teaching about sustainability, nutrition and how agriculture intersects with nearly every career in Kentucky,” said Fletcher.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s website has links to a variety of lesson plans for students in kindergarten through high school. More information is available at kyagr.com.