September 24, 2020
Governments of Canada and Manitoba Support New Approach to Agricultural Programming in Schools
The governments of Canada and Manitoba will be providing support to Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba (AITC-M) to adjust its educational and outreach resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen announced today.
“Connecting Canadian youth with the farming and agri-food industry is more important than ever during these challenging times,” said Bibeau. “This investment will allow Agriculture in the Classroom to help both Manitoba’s teachers and students adapt to new realities as they continue to learn about our innovative agricultural sector.”
“The pandemic has renewed many Manitobans’ interest in our food, where it comes from and how it gets from farm to table,” said Pedersen. “This investment will help educate Manitoba’s youth on the importance of agriculture in Manitoba and the role it plays in our everyday lives.”
Through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the governments of Canada and Manitoba will be providing AITC-M with up to $146,600 to adopt a new service delivery method to adapt to COVID-19 and an increased demand for digital, online and adapted in-person resources.
AITC-M brings together industry, government and educators to increase the public’s understanding about agriculture. AITC-M delivers curriculum based programs, activities and resources for teachers and their students to learn about agriculture and the role it plays in Manitoba. In 2019, AITC-M reached nearly 38,000 students through events, programs and professional development days for educators.
“Through this time of uncertainty, our vision to educate students about how their food gets from the farm to their table has never wavered, it just needs to happen differently,” said Sue Clayton, executive director of AITC-M. “We believe all students in Manitoba should be agriculturally literate when they graduate. Thanks to the generous support from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership program, we move closer to this goal as more students will be able to expand and deepen their knowledge of Canadian agriculture.”
The five-year, $3-billion Canadian Agricultural Partnership includes $2 billion for cost-shared strategic initiatives delivered by the provinces and territories and $1 billion for federal programs and services. For more information, visit www.canada.ca/Agri-Partnership.
For more information on AITC-M, including a link to its educational resources, visit:
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