Issue

With greater attention around food sustainability and the environmental footprint of agriculture, there is a need to raise awareness and provide unbiased, fact-based, industry-led and science-driven education focused on where our food comes from, recognizing the sustainability of agribusiness and its vitally important role in our economy as a natural resource.

Background

Greater awareness around food sustainability and the environmental footprint of agriculture has become progressively more important, particularly as misinformation and biased perspectives about agricultural practices continue to spread through social media and other channels. As a result, there is an ever-increasing need to provide more unbiased, fact-based, science-driven education to bridge the information gap between agricultural producers and consumers. This type of education must start at the foundational level, providing an opportunity to educate our youth with industry-led, scientifically accurate information to ensure that the next generation is educated and informed about where food comes from and the importance of agriculture to our economy and the future sustainability of our food locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.

The 2021 Census of Agriculture found that 524,915 people are directly involved in farm work, representing just over 1.37% of Canadians. Additionally, according to the 2021 Census, there are 57,195 farm operators in Alberta, with 29,601 individuals employed as paid labour, representing 4.27 percent of the total provincial workforce. Alberta has one of the world's most productive agricultural economies and a total farm area of 49.2 million acres. Despite the decline in farms since 2011 in our province, Alberta continues to rank second, behind Ontario, in total farm area with the highest number of cattle ranching farm types in the country. While the number of people who are directly involved in farm operations is relatively low, all Canadians participate in the agri-food sector when they go grocery shopping and make food choices. Yet farmers and ranchers feel increasingly under attack due to public scrutiny and misinformation about the industry, often based on incomplete or biased sources rather than scientific evidence.

In 2020, Alberta's real gross domestic product for agri-food industries totaled $9.68 billion, increasing from $8.5 billion in 2018 and $5.5 billion in 2011. In 2021, Alberta agri-food exports remained strong at $14.1 billion, exceeding the 2018 record by 17.7 percent.

Even though this industry plays a critical role in our ecosystem and economy, there is no requirement to educate our youth or public about the facts and information around the role the industry plays in our economy, or to provide unbiased, science-based education around the sustainability of our agri-food sector.

The Government of Alberta has identified that teaching students where their food comes from and how it is produced is increasingly important as urban students become more disconnected from their rural neighbours. However, the challenge is ensuring that agriculture education is delivered through unbiased, fact-based, industry-led science education that presents accurate information without promotional bias.

While there are various efforts to develop resources and plans to integrate agriculture into the curriculum, including Alberta Agriculture Lesson plans, various educational resources and programs, as well as funding for agriculture education and literacy, the implementation remains inconsistent and often optional.

Consultations have identified that teachers need not only to be equipped with outcome connections and resources but also to be trained and knowledgeable in the subject matter, with access to unbiased, scientifically accurate materials. If they feel unequipped or if materials appear biased, these optional courses are not prioritized or delivered in a way that doesn’t achieve the desired outcomes.

Additionally, there should be a minimum requirement that agriculture education be incorporated into a multidisciplinary framework across K-12 grades. This would ensure consistent exposure to factual agricultural information while allowing for age-appropriate delivery and integration with existing curriculum outcomes.

Primary integration areas could include:

• Science - Plant biology, soil chemistry, environmental systems, biotechnology, food safety
• Mathematics - Data analysis, yield calculations, economic modeling, statistical analysis
• Social Studies - Policy, economics, global food systems, cultural aspects
• Career & Technical Education - Hands-on applications, career pathways, industry connections

To ensure truly unbiased education, industry-led content must be developed in partnership with educational professionals and subject to rigorous fact-checking and scientific validation. This approach would combine industry expertise with educational best practices to deliver accurate, balanced information about agricultural practices, environmental stewardship, and economic contributions.

Recommendations

The Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce, along with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, recommends the Province of Alberta:

1. Require agriculture education to be incorporated across science, mathematics, social studies, and career education curricula for all grades K through 12, with outcomes connected to the Alberta Education identified core competencies, ensuring outcomes are appropriate for each grade level and delivered through unbiased, fact-based, industry-led, science-driven education.
2. Develop unbiased, fact-based agriculture education content through partnerships between industry experts and educational professionals, subject to rigorous scientific validation and peer review to ensure accuracy and objectivity.
3. Integrate experiential learning opportunity options, including work-integrated learning, such as on-farm learning, community gardens and community classrooms, particularly in grades 7-9 through the Career and Technology Foundations (CTF) curriculum, emphasizing hands-on learning with scientific methodology.
4. Conduct a comprehensive review of resources currently available to teachers through learnalberta.ca and identify gaps to ensure that instructors have access to a comprehensive resource library of unbiased, scientifically accurate agriculture education materials.
5. Establish a multi-stakeholder curriculum review panel including agricultural scientists, educators, and industry representatives to ensure agriculture education content maintains scientific accuracy, educational objectivity, and industry relevance.
6. Require teacher professional development opportunities focused on agriculture education delivery, emphasizing scientific literacy, fact-based instruction methods, and recognition of potential bias in educational materials.

Resources

Statistics Canada. (2021). Characteristics of farm operators: farm work and other paid work, Census of Agriculture. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3210038201

Statistics Canada. (2021). Census of Agriculture: Farm and farm operator data visualization tool. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2022006-eng.htm

St. Pierre, M., McComb, M. (2022). Alberta has the highest farm operating revenues in Canada. Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/96-325-x/2021001/article/00009-eng.htm

Government of Alberta. (2022). Census 2021 Alberta Labour Highlights Report. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/8e12b021-be62-4025-9578-6154e5da09d3/resource/5894d89a-4bea-4d8c-872f-8df20bd187be/download/jend-census-2021-alberta-labour-highlights-report-1-2022.pdf

Government of Alberta. (2021). Agricultural trade services – for exporters. https://www.alberta.ca/agricultural-trade-services-for-exporters.aspx

Government of Alberta. Agriculture Statistics Factsheets. https://open.alberta.ca/publications/1929-4263

Government of Alberta. (2019). Demand for Convenience. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/b5d936eb-2127-424e-b1b8-818c486d12aa/resource/5d7a504d-ab10-4f1c-843c-79801cf0d412/download/af-consumer-corner-54-demand-for-convenience-2019-11.pdf

Invest Alberta. (2020). Agriculture Sector Overview. https://investalberta.ca/agriculture/

Educational Program and Resource References:

Government of Alberta. Alberta Agriculture Education Resources. https://www.alberta.ca/agricultural-education.aspx

Government of Alberta. Canadian Agricultural Partnership for Agriculture Education and Literacy. https://cap.alberta.ca/CAP/Programs/category/Agricultural%20Education%20and%20Literacy

Agriculture for Life. http://agricultureforlife.ca/

Nutrients for Life Canada. https://www.nutrientsforlife.ca/

4-H Canada. Programs and Resources. https://4-h-canada.ca/programs

Journey 2050. http://www.journey2050.com/

Farmers 2050. https://www.farmers2050.com/

Date Drafted: January 23, 2020
Date Revised: February 5, 2023, April 14, 2023,
Date Approved: February 19, 2023, April 19, 2023, March 18, 2026