Your mission if you choose to accept is to sow and grow five Irish fruit and veg. This is the challenge put to over 200,000 primary school children as part of Agri Aware’s Incredible Edibles Growing Challenge, in association with Sam Dennigan & Co. Ireland’s youngest farmers have all the resources for the challenge as 360,000 seeds and plants and 60 tonnes of compost have been used to create almost 4,000 growing kits which landed on the doorstep of every primary school nationwide this week.
The aim of the intiative is to increase consumption of healthy foods and highlight the role of the farmer in producing quality Irish fruit and vegetables among primary school pupils. As part of the challenge, classes will have to create a growing diary which will document their agricultural adventure from the sowing and planting of potatoes, lettuces, cabbages, scallions and strawberries in February through to harvest in June.
The Incredible Edibles is the follow on from Agri Aware’s Meet the Spuds! Potato Growing Challenge 2008 in which over 2,000 schools participated. A survey conducted amongst almost 900 participating teachers confirmed that 90% believe their pupils now have a greater understanding of Irish farming and food with over 80% claiming they are now more likely to develop a school garden. Sam Dennigan also ran a campaign in association with Agri Aware and brought a dedicated Meet the Spuds! 2.5kg bag to Irish consumers.
Agri Aware Chairman, Mairead Lavery, highlighted “It is vitally important that we build upon the success of last year’s potato challenge. A prime objective of this industry supported project is to provide schools with an experience that is minimum fuss, maximum fun. Pupils and teachers will not only learn about the quality of Irish food, but will actually walk a mile in the boots of an Irish farmer.”
Over €10,000 in educational prizes are up for grabs for ten winning growing diaries. The diaries will be assessed by a dedicated judging panel and five winners and five runners-up will be chosen from Dublin, Rest of Leinster, Munster, Connacht/Ulster and Special Needs.