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Dean's Message
Agriculture was the foundation stone of civilization. It enabled the few to feed the many that provided the leisure time that is the fundamental requirement for civilization to develop. As Ecclesiasticus puts it, “To be wise (a scholar) must be relieved of other tasks”. And given the world’s exploding population, agriculture has a vital role to play in preserving that civilization which it created.
The most significant challenge the world faces over the next 40 years has to be how we sustainably move from a fossil-fuel based to a renewable-energy economy, feed another 2.5 billion people when already 1 billion are malnourished, and adapt an agri-food and bio-resource industry that will be severely challenged by changing climate and weather patterns. Threats to energy and food supplies will continue to cause socio-political change and chaos.
And yet, in our well-fed western democracies where food is cheap (an average of less than 10% of North American disposable income is spent on food in the home) we cannot see the urgency: there will always be food at the supermarket. As a society we take to the moral high ground, and uncritically consume the prejudice of films like Food Inc. while still demanding cheap fried chicken. We need to re-engage society at large with the issues and challenges of how we feed ourselves and our fellow global citizens. After all, apart from breathing, eating is our only obligatory activity – everything else (including hockey) is optional. And we need to attract more young people to the wealth of educational and job opportunities provided by the agri-food industry.
The recent poll of high school students published by the Western Producer showed that the vast majority of young people believe that agriculture is the most important industry in their province. And they are right, but they have an incomplete view of what the full spectrum of the agri-food industry is. We need to get the message to our diligent, committed and intelligent young people that agriculture, food, and bio-resource production are vital to the survival of global civilization; that creative, engaging, varied and rewarding job opportunities - from scientist and environmentalist to business person or banker - are readily available; and that over 90% of these are outside the farm gate, many in the city centre.
So how do we re-engage our future generations? In our view, engagement must begin no later than kindergarten. At the University of Manitoba we have initiated a series of integrated actions to bring the value of, the sciences applied to, and the opportunities in the food and bio-resource industries to the attention of young people. We work closely with the Manitoba Agriculture in the Classroom organization that helps bring agriculture into the classroom; we have spent over $5 million building the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre that aims to tell the story of what it takes in science and jobs to go from soil to supper plate (see www.FFDC.ca). We employ a Community Relations Coordinator who works with high school teachers to help them introduce the value of agriculture, its science and endeavor into their teaching. And, by fully linking our 2 year Agriculture Diploma Program with most of our Degree programs, we provide a different and valuable educational experience ideally suited for a career in the agri-food industries, one where the student's initial commitment is to only 18 months of study. Our Diploma provides a useful qualification in its own right, as well as a stepping-stone to a degree with no overall time or cost penalty.
My challenge to our youth: if you are concerned about the ultimate fate of civilization, and the condition of your fellow humans and their environment, don’t reject agriculture and food sciences because you think it is not for you as you are not going to become a farmer. There are many opportunities besides farming, but we definitely also need farmers! Ask, and find out what it takes to join us, and help feed the world without costing the earth. My challenge to the agri-food industry: we need your continuing support to be able to engage more young people in this fascinating and worthwhile endeavor.
Michael Trevan
Dean, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
University of Manitoba
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