STUDENTS from 21 schools have begun their quest to learn what it takes to feed Sydney for a day.
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The students are participating in the Archibull Prize, an Art4Agriculture initiative that uses art and multimedia to promote the important role agriculture plays in our lives.
Art4Agriculture is a network of young farming champions who deliver events and activities that focus on youth, career opportunities, the environment and the arts, all with a link back to agriculture.
This year, the Archibull Prize asks students to reflect on the theme "Bridging the Rural - Urban Divide - What does it take to feed Sydney for a day?" Schools are provided with a blank fibreglass cow that students will decorate to highlight what they’ve learnt about this theme and
the challenges of housing and feeding Australia and the world with a declining natural resource base.
“The average person doesn't consider the resources required to keep a city well fed, let alone
the world!” says Jamberoo dairy farmer Lynne Strong, who Chairs Art4Agriculture.
“It’s staggering enough to discover you need 90,000 cows to produce the 1.3 million litres of milk that Sydney consumes every day, but then how much land do you need for those cows? How many people to run the farm? How much feed for the stock? These are the questions we hope the students will consider along the way.”
Participating schools have received their blank cows and have been randomly allocated an agricultural commodity that they are to research and learn about and then feature in their artwork. These include beef, grains, sheep (wool & meat), dairy, chickens (eggs and meat) and cotton.
Students are also required to make a video, keep a blog and design a PowerPoint presentation tracking their journey from blank cow to masterpiece.
The completed “Archibulls” are judged by an independent panel to determine the winner. They then go on display at various locations around Sydney allowing the general public to vote for the People’s Choice award.
The “Archibulls” are also exhibited at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, providing a total audience of around 1 million people for the students to share what they’ve
learned.
“This year we are excited that a group Young Farming Champions will visit and support the
schools during the project” said Lynne Strong.
“These young farmers will provide information
about their industry, assist the students with the development of their ideas but most importantly, provide a young face of modern farming which we hope will inspire the students.”
The program is a new and innovative way of connecting urban consumers with the people who produce their food and fibre and is supported by Woolworths who launched the 2011 Archibull Prize this week at their Sydney headquarters.
“Woolworths is proud to be a supporting partner of Art4Agriculture and the 2011 Archibull Prize,”
said Community Investment Manager, Virginia Tomlinson.
“It’s an exciting program with a fresh approach to talking to future generations about the importance of sustainable food production.
The Archibull is a very smart way to build agricultural and environmental awareness through art, creativity and teamwork.”
In addition to Woolworths, the program is also supported by RIRDC, Meat & Livestock Australia, LandLearn NSW, Kondinin Group and the Primary Industries Education Foundation.
The Archibull Prize builds a bridge for farmers and communities to reach out to each other, share stories, improve understanding and work through potential solutions together.
The “Archibulls” will be completed in November this year with the winners announced in early December.
