Canadian Agriculture Literacy Week Kicks Off

Mar 04, 2013

Celebrating Agriculture in Classrooms Across Canada

This week marks the second-annual Canadian Agriculture Literacy week (CALW). Students in classrooms across the country will engage in activities to both learn and celebrate agriculture through a number of activities including – reading, watching videos and classroom visits from farmers and others involved in agriculture.

Increasing ag literacy in the classroom will help further students’ knowledge and interest in agriculture. The fundamental goal is to enhance children’s understanding of agriculture, while providing them with the opportunity to have a platform to engage and discuss agri-food topics.

Many provinces across the country are taking on a leadership role to bring agriculture literacy into the classroom. For example, Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc. (OAFE) will be delivering programs in over 60 elementary and secondary schools across the province. OAFE is also partnering up with young agricultural leaders, like 4-H ambassadors to help deliver the program material in secondary schools.

This initiative is made possible through the support of Farm Credit Canada

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.