2018_IE_Karol-Kissane_Review-Of-Perceptions-Of-Agriculture-In-Primary-School-Students-And-Opportunit

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Review of Perceptions of Agriculture in
Primary School Students and
opportunities for developments
A report for
NUFFIELD IRELAND
Farming Scholarships
By Karol Kissane
2018 Nuffield Scholar
September 2019

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This publication has been prepared in good faith on the basis of information available at the
date of publication without any independent verification. Nuffield Ireland does not guarantee
or warrant the accuracy, reliability, completeness of currency of the information in this
publication nor its usefulness in achieving any purpose.
Readers are responsible for assessing the relevance and accuracy of the content of this
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those specifically referred to.
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reproduction or acknowledgement contact the Executive Secretary.
Scholar Contact Details
Karol Kissane
Tullahinnell, Ballylongford, Co. Kerry
Phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
In submitting this report, the Scholar has agreed to Nuffield Ireland publishing this material in
its edited form.
NUFFIELD IRELAND Contact Details
John Tyrrell
Executive Secretary, Nuffield Ireland
Phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]

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1 Executive Summary
More people live in urban centres rather than rural areas, and this will increase to 2/3rds of the
world’s population by 2050. This contributes to an ever-growing disconnect between primary
producers of agricultural products and its consumers.
The challenge for agriculture is to engage the population to facilitate a better understanding of
what it does, and help it to feed a growing population, while protecting biodiversity and
reducing agricultures effects on climate change.
To change perceptions, positive experiences must be introduced from a young age and repeated
regularly. The school system offers the best opportunity to reach a wide audience of young
people. There is the opportunity to incorporate agricultural examples into the teaching of other
subjects.
Using creativity and new technologies can ensure engagement and a positive perception of
agriculture in children’s minds , while also facilitating the development of critical thinking from
a young age.
The key objectives of this study were to examine:
1.