Over 25,000 primary school children from 1,000 schools took part in a recent Incredible Edibles Keep Well Day, which showcased how children are keeping active in the garden and eating healthy to keep well this spring.

On Thursday, March 25th thousands of students and their teachers joined the two Incredible Edibles Keep Well virtual events, which featured well-known fitness trainer, Ray Lally, aka The Happy Fitness Guy, and horticulturist, Brian McCarthy, who runs the unique Cork Rooftop Farm in Cork City.

The Happy Fitness Guy, who has a slot on RTE’s Today Show, hosted a fun-filled fitness session with children and their teachers and showcased the importance of keeping active in order to look after their physical and emotional well-being.
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Then, Brian McCarthy who runs Cork Rooftop Farm in the centre of Cork City, wowed viewers with an engaging tour of his skyline farm and answered all their sowing and growing questions.

The Incredible Edibles Keep Well event was held in conjunction with Healthy Ireland’s Keep Well Campaign, which is part of the Government Plan for Living with Covid-19 – Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021.

The Incredible Edibles programme, sponsored by Bord Bia, Healthy Ireland, Department of Education and Skills, SafeFood and the Irish horticulture industry, communicated and delivered an impactful month-long campaign in March 2021, which tasked primary schools nationwide to showcase how they were keeping well, eating well and being active in the garden.

Agri Aware’s Incredible Edibles programme is a free, healthy eating and growing project that has been running in Irish primary schools for 13 years. Over 43,000 primary school children and 1,600 schools are taking part in this year’s programme.

Participating schools receive free grow packs that contain everything teachers need to start their own school garden. Students have showed excellent resilience and creativity in finding unique ways of learning all about food origin and fresh, Irish produce through online teaching, while preparing to plant their own spring gardens in March.

For the month of March, Incredible Edibles delivered educational and fun activities as part of the Keep Well campaign and in line with Task 3 of the project – Planting and Growing.

Schools submitted videos showcasing how they keep active to keep well and participants are currently taking part in art and recipe competitions aimed at highlighting how they are eating well to keep well.

Interactive worksheets featuring key, healthy eating advice from Healthy Ireland were also made available to schools on IncredibleEdibles.ie since January and were a vital resource to students and teachers during the recent online teaching period.

Speaking about the Incredible Edibles Keep Well campaign, The Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan T.D. said: “Encouraging children to eat a healthy diet is a key objective of Healthy Ireland and we have been very happy to support the Incredible Edibles programme for many years now.

“This programme lays a foundation for children to adopt healthy behaviours and habits which will last a lifetime, and which they in turn, will hopefully be able to pass on to their own children some day. I want to thank all of the students and teachers who took part in the recent Incredible Edibles Keep Well day and I wish them every success with their projects,” said Minister Feighan.

Healthy Eating Executive at Bord Bia, Dr Elizabeth Finnegan also added: “The pandemic has put the outdoor classroom firmly back in focus as an important educational space for children. We were pleased to see a record number of schools registering to participate in the Incredible Edibles Programme this year. Additionally, people are reaping the wellbeing rewards that gardening and related activities bring.

“The past year has shown us just how important and effective being outside in the fresh air is for maintaining and boosting our physical and mental health. Bord Bia are delighted to be in a position showcase the important work Incredible Edibles is doing in schools as part of this national campaign, promoting the fun and interactive ways children, schools, families and communities can get active in the garden,” said Dr Finnegan.

Agri Aware chairman, Alan Jagoe thanked Healthy Ireland and Bord Bia for the opportunity for Incredible Edibles to be apart of the Keep Well campaign.

“It was an honour for Agri Aware to be invited by Bord Bia to showcase how Irish children are eating well and keeping active in the garden for the month of March, as part of Healthy Ireland’s Keep Well campaign. The Keep Well campaign is in line with the ethos of Incredible Edibles, which has been educating Irish school children about the importance of growing and consuming Irish fruit and vegetables for a healthy, balanced diet for the last 13 years,” said Mr Jagoe.

“On behalf of Agri Aware I would like to thank Bord Bia and Healthy Ireland for the opportunity for Incredible Edibles to play a part in the Keep Well campaign. I would also like to thank teachers and students for getting so involved in the campaign in what has been a challenging time for them due to Covid-19 restrictions over the last year. We hope that the campaign has equipped teachers and students with long-lasting knowledge on how they can keep active and well for years to come, as well as lots of fun memories too.”

You can watch the Incredible Edibles Keep Well event below or here 

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Environmental conservation is the key focus of this year’s Agri Aware Farm Walk and Talk 2021 notes & video series, in conjunction with Teagasc and Kildalton Agricultural College. The series is also supported by the Irish Agricultural Science Teachers Association (IASTA) and Agri Aware patrons.

The free, educational notes and 12-part video series, which features expert Teagasc staff, filmed in Kildalton Agricultural College in Co Kilkenny, will act as an invaluable resource to Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science students and teachers, who have had limited class time in the last year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The theme of the virtual series is in line with the current Leaving Cert Agricultural Science project topic -“Supporting conservation of the environment through Irish agricultural practices" - and features in depth talks and demonstrations from expert Teagasc staff based in Kildalton Agricultural College.

The talks will cover a range of curriculum linked topics from grassland management to anti-microbial resistance, as well as providing a real-life insight into the practicalities of modern, Irish farming. The notes also cover the benefits of conservation and how Irish farmers are working towards enhancing conservation on their farms.

Over 460 Agricultural Science teachers and 17,000 Agricultural Science students nationwide have already signed up to receive the free video resources, which also include free notes that align with the new curriculum and focus on themes such as conservation and sustainability.

The video series is in replacement of Agri Aware’s flagship Farm Walk and Talk physical event series, which usually takes place each spring and welcomes thousands of students and teachers but due to Covid-19 restrictions this year, this was not possible.

Speaking about the Agri Aware Farm Walk and Talk 2021 video series, Agri Aware chairman, Alan Jagoe stated: “We are delighted to present this Agri Aware Farm Walk and Talk video series supported by Teagasc and aimed at supporting Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science students and teachers, who have had a challenging year with limited classes and access to farms due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The videos will give students who do not live on farms an opportunity to gain a real insight into Irish agriculture and will also showcase the many positive environmental practises Irish farmers are implementing every day on their farms.

“On behalf of Agri Aware I would like to thank Teagasc and Kildalton Agricultural college for their support in creating this video series and for providing their valued knowledge and expertise,” said Mr Jagoe.

Kildalton Agricultural College Principal, Tim Ashmore also added: “Teagasc Kildalton College are delighted to work in conjunction with Agri Aware to produce this series of short educational videos which will help to replace the Farm Walk & Talk events which unfortunately could not go ahead this year.

“These videos were developed by college staff in Kildalton to help provide students with an insight into the key learning outcomes on the Leaving Certificate Agricultural science syllabus. They provide a visual link between Agricultural Science and practical agriculture. We look forward to welcoming secondary schools back to Kildalton in the near future,” said Mr Ashmore.
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The videos will be released on Agri Aware’s and Teagasc’s social media all this week, but all 12 videos are available to view here 

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Over 200 viewers tuned in live to watch the second #AgCredible Instagram Live event with performance nutritionist, Daniel Davey and beef farmer, John Heslin on Thursday March 25th.

John, who also works with MSD Animal Health and plays football with Co Westmeath cooked beef burgers guided by the skills of well-known performance nutrionist, Daniel Davey.

The pair talked about the importance of buying local, family farming and the nutritional qualities associated with eating meat to stay healthy and fit.

The event has been watched back over 4,500 times on Agri Aware’s Instagram and follows on from our first AgCredible Instagram Live event with Davey and Agri Aware chairman, Alan Jagoe in February.

Stay tuned for further event announcements with Daniel in April!

You can watch back on the event with Daniel and John here - ​https://www.instagram.com/p/CM0FOCvnFHe/

​Agri Aware and UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science have come to the assistance of Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science students by developing a new curriculum-linked experiment video series to aid them in their studies. This is in response to the challenges of school closures and changes to the Agricultural Science curriculum.

The Essential Experiments series contains at least 11 experiments that cover mandatory, Leaving Cert Agricultural Science experiment topics such as soils, milk quality and crop science.

The experiments in the videos were carried out by UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science professors and staff, who have a wealth of in-depth knowledge and experience working at the forefront of the agriculture and food science sectors.

The UCD staff have received guidance from the Irish Agricultural Science Teachers Association (IASTA) on how best to carry out the experiments in order to fit the needs of students and teachers, who have missed out on vital lab time as a result of Covid-19 restrictions over the last 12 months.

The videos will be shared with Leaving Cert Agricultural Science teachers nationwide, who can then share them with their students and they will also be made available for free on Agri Aware’s Youtube and social media platforms.

Speaking about the Essential Experiments video series, Agri Aware Chairman, Alan Jagoe stated:
“We are delighted to partner with UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science for this Essential Experiments video series. The videos come at a time where teachers and students are in real need of extra, digital resources as schools were closed for over two months this year and over three months last year.

“Current Leaving Cert students and teachers have missed out on important class and lab time, so we hope that these videos will help bring the lab experience alive for students and act as an invaluable resource for them in the run up to their Leaving Cert exam,” said Mr Jagoe.

Commenting on the new video initiative, Professor Alexander Evans, Dean of Agriculture and Head of UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science said: "We are delighted to support our hard-working teachers and students studying Agricultural Science by partnering with Agri Aware and developing a selection of relevant experiments to support learning.

“Experimentation, observation, interpretation and explanation are critical parts of the scientific process and we look forward to meeting the agricultural scientists and leaders of the future,” said Professor Evans.

IASTA PRO, Johnny Gleeson thanked Agri Aware and UCD for the creation of the Essential Experiments video series which he said will be a huge help to Agricultural Science students and teachers nationwide.

“It is great that Agri Aware and UCD have been able to come together to create these wonderful resources that will help teachers and students in years to come, not only this year where access to labs has been an issue but going forward they are a great resource to have to accompany the new Agricultural Science course,” said Mr Gleeson.

Check out the Essential Experiment videos here. More videos will be added to the Agri Aware YouTube Channel over the coming weeks, so keep an eye out on Agri Aware and UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science’s social media platforms for details.

Follow @AgriAware on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Follow @UCDAgFood on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Agri Aware, AgriKids and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), supported by FBD Trust have teamed up to bring the Farm Safe Schools pilot programme to Irish classrooms. The first of its kind, collaborative, pilot programme aims to engage, educate and empower Irish children to become farm safety ambassadors and in doing so help create a safer, brighter future on Irish farms.
 
According to the Health and Safety Authority, 23 children have died on Irish farms over the last decade as a result of farm accidents. The Farm Safe Schools team are calling on Irish primary school teachers to sign up to this innovative programme, which will provide children with key knowledge and skills that could save lives and kick start conversations within classrooms and Irish homes nationwide.
 
Co-developed by Agri Aware, AgriKids and IFA, The Farm Safe Schools programme has the potential to bring a dedicated farm safety education platform to every school in Ireland. 

​ The interactive educational programme is designed to assist teachers in educating their students about the potential dangers associated with farming and agriculture, and is part of a national strategy, aimed at reducing the number of accidents on farms and in the countryside. 
 
As an existing component of the SPHE curriculum, this programme will also provide Irish primary school classrooms with fun, interactive resources and webinars all tailored to the Farm Safe School ethos.
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In order to become accredited Farm Safe Schools, teachers must cover three topics in each programme module (two topics for infant classes) and show evidence of learnings achieved for each.  Teachers can create a web page, a logbook or blog page to showcase their classes’ hard work on raising farm safety awareness.  They are also encouraged to share their progress via social media, using the hashtag #FarmSafeSchools.
 
The modules focus on the main farm hazards most pertinent to children including farmer and field safety, animal safety and machinery safety. There is also an opportunity to win prizes and to become recognised nationally that you are making a positive contribution towards farm safety in the wider, rural community.
 
As well as achieving the status of becoming a recognised ‘Farm Safe School’, participating schools who show excellence in each module and overall will have additional opportunities to gain rewards through the ‘FBD Farm Safe Schools Champions’ initiative.
 
Speaking about the new, dedicated Farm Safe Schools pilot programme, Agri Aware chairman, Alan Jagoe, who is a dairy and tillage farmer from Co Cork said:
 
“We are delighted to collaborate on this new Farm Safe Schools programme with AgriKids and IFA. As a farmer myself, with three young daughters, I know how important farm safety is on Irish family farms.  Farm accidents have a devastating impact on Irish families and their livelihoods each year.
 
“I would encourage teachers nationwide to sign their classes up to this programme which is seeking to engage children from a young age on the topic of farm safety and encourage them to form life-long, positive farm safety habits. On behalf of Agri Aware, I would like to thank FBD Trust for its support of this dedicated farm safety programme,” said Mr Jagoe.
 
Alma Jordan, who set up Ireland’s leading farm safety platform, AgriKids in 2015, added that she feels the collaboration will lead to kick-starting conversations on farm safety both in the classroom and in households across Ireland and help create a positive culture around farm safety nationwide.
 
“After running AgriKids school workshops, a new objective, to bring a dedicated and supported farm safety programme to our children was realised. It is with a shared sense of relief and pride that I view the launch of this pilot between AgriKids, Agri Aware and IFA, supported by FBD Trust,” said Ms Jordan.
 
“We have a huge opportunity to not just create more dialogue and conversations on the topic of farm safety but to also create a greater sense of unity on the topic and an opportunity for everyone to contribute to a safer farm future for all. We all have a role to play in creating a safer culture and attitude around farm safety.”

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IFA President Tim Cullinan said the new initiative to deliver a dedicated farm safety programme through schools will be an important part of raising awareness around farm safety.
 
“The school setting – whether in the classroom or remotely – is an excellent approach to reinforce an essential message. The experience that Agri Aware has with schools, combined with the child-centred approach of AgriKids, is an excellent partnership,” he said.
 
FBD Chief Commercial Officer, John Cahalan welcomed the new Farm Safe Schools programme and stated that FBD Trust is proud to support the pilot programme.
“Over the past 10 years, children have accounted for 10% of all fatalities as a result of accidents on farms. Now is the time to create a positive safety culture on farms and to succeed it is imperative that we target the farmers of the future as well as the farmers of today,” said Mr Cahalan.
 
“At FBD Insurance we welcome any opportunity to promote safe farm practices and we are proud to support this fantastic safety initiative, Farm Safe Schools, which aims to engage children at a young age, to teach them essential farm safety practises that will serve them well throughout their lives and to empower them to become farm safety champions.”
 
Next Steps
If you would like your school to be included in the programme pilot, which is running from March-May 2021, visit www.farmsafeschools.ie and register your school now!  We will be in touch with all participating schools to confirm final details and next steps.
 

Over 1,600 primary schools and 43,000 primary school children nationwide are showcasing resilience and creativity by preparing to plant their own spring gardens and learning all about fresh, Irish produce, despite school closures.

Agri Aware’s Incredible Edibles programme is a free, healthy eating and growing project that has been running in Irish primary schools for 13 years. Participating schools receive free grow packs that contain everything teachers and pupils need to start their very own school garden.

1,600 schools are signed up to the curriculum linked programme this year and although schools are currently closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, teachers and students are showing excellent resilience and creativity in finding unique ways of learning all about food origin and fresh, Irish produce through online teaching, while preparing to plant their own spring gardens in March.

One school in Co Wicklow completed a mini-project all about food origin and identifying Irish produce through online learning with their teachers. Wicklow Educate Together National School students put together posters, booklets and a fact file based on where the food in their kitchen fridges and cupboards comes from.

“We researched and learned that some food is grown in Ireland, such as strawberries and potatoes, but foods like bananas are only grown in hot places, like Africa. One pupil told us how their granny milks the cows and uses the milk to make butter and cheese,” said the Third Class students who are taught by Mercedes Russell and Eamonn O’Hanrahan.

Meanwhile, Fourth Class girls in Scoil Bhride Cailini in Blanchardstown, Dublin also got busy examining the difference between foods grown in Ireland and abroad and the meaning of the Bord Bia Quality Mark.

“One girl found a kiwi and said that it couldn't grow in Ireland because our climate isn't warm enough. Another girl then said that Ireland has the perfect climate for growing lovely carrots though – and she is right,” said the Dublin Fourth Class girls.

Ms Elizabeth Lane’s Junior, Senior, 1st and 2nd classes in Loughfouder National School, Co Kerry have also been examining the difference between processed and unprocessed foods in their kitchens and making posters.

“In our online classes this week we have been talking about the origins of food, how most of our foods come from the farm and the foods that we eat are processed or unprocessed,” said the Kerry students.
Meanwhile, Eileen Murphy’s pre-school class in Apple Tree Farm, Montessori, Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny, who are also taking part in Incredible Edibles, had a video call with a dairy farmer.

“He showed us around his milking parlour. We also read the story of The Little Red Hen which is all about making bread. We also learned that some vegetables grow underground and we eat the roots not the leaves of these vegetables and other vegetables grow overground,” said the pre-school children.

Commenting on the resilience teachers and students partaking in Incredible Edibles are showing, Agri Aware chairman, Alan Jagoe said: “I’d like to commend the teachers and students taking part in Incredible Edibles this year and I’d also like to thank parents for their support of the project in aiding their children take part in online learning.”
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“While schools are closed, teachers are showing great commitment to the project by making use of the wealth of free, online resources provided on IncredibleEdibles.ie and sharing 

​Agri Aware teamed up with top performance nutritionist Daniel Davey on February 2nd to host an AgCredible Instagram Live series focused on the importance of eating sustainable, Irish produce from family farms in order to achieve health and fitness goals.

Davey, who is a performance nutritionist with Dublin GAA and Leinster Rugby team members and is from a sheep farm in Co Sligo, has over 80,000 followers on Instagram. Davey, was joined by Agri Aware chairman and dairy and tillage farmer, Alan Jagoe for a Live Instagram event where the pair cooked a black pudding frittata and overnight porridge oats.

They chatted about their farming backgrounds, the importance of eating locally, animal welfare, health and much more. Over 130 people tuned in to the Live event, while the recorded video has already been watched over 3,000 times.

​Agri Aware is looking forward to working with Daniel in the near future to further communicate and build awareness around the important work farmers do in producing sustainable produce to the highest animal welfare standards. You can watch the event recording here

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​A €500 cash prize and an Agri Aware Mobile Farm Visit are up for grabs for primary school classes that bring the Dig In! farming and food education resource to life in their learning.
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Agri Aware, supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine launched its revitalised Dig In! Learning About Life on the Countryside resource aimed at primary school students in November 2020.

The agri-food educational body has now launched a competition to encourage teachers to bring the resource to life and reconnect their students with how the food that ends up on their dinner plates is produced from farm to fork.

Teachers are being asked to complete one suggested activity from three of the following six Dig In! topics: The Irish Farmer, Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Cereals and Grasses and Poultry.

Teachers can submit evidence that their class completed the activities by visiting agriaware.ie/digin and filling in the competition submission form. They will be in with a chance of winning first prize of €500 and an Agri Aware Mobile Farm visit to their school and second prize of an Agri Aware Mobile Farm visit to their school.

The competition is open to all primary school levels and entries close on Friday, April 30th, 2021.
Agri Aware is also reminding teachers and parents that Dig In! can be downloaded in digital format and makes for an exciting and educational curriculum linked resource that can be used during the current home-schooling period.

Dig In! is divided into four modules according to levels of ability for Junior and Senior Infants; 1st&2nd class; 3rd&4th class and 5th&6th class. Each module contains 20 ready-to-go lesson plans and corresponding activities. Furthermore, each lesson plan is linked to strands of the English, Maths, Art, Drama, Science, Geography and SPHE curriculum.

Children will gain a real insight into all aspects of Irish farming, from learning how animals are reared and crops are grown, to understanding the role hedgerows play to promote biodiversity on Irish farms.
Speaking about the launch of the Dig In! competition Agri Aware Chairman and dairy and tillage farmer, Alan Jagoe from Co Cork said, “We are delighted to launch this competition to encourage teachers to use Dig In! as an innovative learning resource for their students.

“The overall winner will receive €500 and a visit from our Mobile Farm when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. The Mobile Farm is a unique outdoor classroom experience which educates young and old about the different farm animals on Irish farms and their role in producing quality food, while explaining that Irish farmers use the highest animal welfare standards."


Mr Jagoe also encouraged teachers and parents to use Dig In! as a remote and home-school learning resource.

“All four Dig In! modules come in a digital format which can be easily accessed and downloaded from AgriAware.ie. Dig In! brings to life all aspects of modern farming in a child friendly, innovative and educational way and is sure to be useful to parents and teachers during this period of home-schooling.”
To access a digital version of the resource teachers and parents can visit: https://www.agriaware.ie/digin.html. 

Agri Aware, supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has launched its revitalised Dig In! Learning About Life on the Countryside resource aimed at primary school students.

The resource, which is being sent to all of Ireland’s 3,240 primary schools this week, contains innovative modules that cover all aspects of Irish farming and food origin, from biodiversity friendly farming methods and animal welfare to healthy eating guidelines.

Agri Aware redeveloped and updated its Dig In! resource, first published in 2013, as it was increasingly observed that Irish children are becoming more and more disconnected to how the food that ends up on their dinner plates is produced from farm to fork.
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Dig In!, which also comes as a digital resource, is divided into four modules according to levels of ability for Junior and Senior Infants; 1st&2nd class; 3rd&4th class and 5th&6th class. Each module contains 20 ready-to-go lesson plans and corresponding activities. Furthermore, each lesson plan is linked to strands of the English, Maths, Art, Drama, Science, Geography and SPHE curriculum.

Children will gain a real insight into all aspects of Irish farming, from learning how animals are reared and crops are grown, to understanding water pollution and how farmers can reduce their carbon footprint.

The revitalised resource also contains a first of its kind Irish Organic Farming Pull-Out Poster which highlights the growing involvement of Irish farmers in the sector in recent years. 

Minister for State for Land Use and Biodiversity at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Pippa Hackett welcomed the launch of a revised Dig In! Educational resource, which is supported by her Department. 

“The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is delighted to support the launch of Dig In! which is a modern and innovative, educational resource. I would encourage teachers nationwide to incorporate it into their lesson plans and bring the positive story of Irish agriculture alive in classrooms,” said Minister Hackett.

“As an organic farmer, I am delighted that a special organic farming pull-out poster has been included in the resource. Organic farming is a growing sector in Ireland and it is important for Irish children to recognise its importance from an early age. I would like to congratulate Agri Aware on compiling this fantastic educational resource sure to be used by Irish schools for years to come.”

Speaking at the launch of Dig In!, Agri Aware Chairman and dairy and tillage farmer, Alan Jagoe from Co Cork said, “It has never been more important for Irish children to reconnect with farming and understand how their food is produced. Earlier in the year families were panic buying as they thought Covid-19 would disrupt food production, but farmers kept producing sustainable food while looking after their animals and the environment, like they do all year round.

“Dig In! gives Irish primary school students a real insight into Irish farming and food production. From the history of farming in Ireland and sustainable farm practices to biodiversity and the importance of food security, Dig In! brings to life all aspects of modern farming in a child friendly, innovative and educational way.”

INTO (Irish National Teachers Organisation) President Mary Magner also welcomed the new resource in what has been a challenging 2020 for teachers.

“On behalf of the INTO, I am delighted to take part in the launch of Dig In!  – a wonderful primary resource, which covers all aspects of farming in an interactive way. While it is engaging for pupils, the fact that the lesson plans are complementary to other subjects, such as English, Math, Art, Drama, Science, Geography and SPHE, means it is convenient and accessible for all teachers, no matter what their personal experience of farming may be,” said Ms Magner.

“In what has been a challenging year, Dig In! is a welcome, high-quality resource to have to hand. Each module contains 20 lesson plans and corresponding activities, available in English and as Gaeilge, and it covers a range of interesting topics at various levels of learning – from farm animals, food products and healthy eating to sustainability, food security and the European Common Agricultural Policy."
 
To learn more about Dig In!, teachers and families can follow @Agriaware on social media where it will be explaining the benefits of using the resource all this week. To access a digital version of the resource teachers can visit: https://www.agriaware.ie/digin.html