The agricultural professional organization COAG presented a study titled 'An education based on the knowledge of our agrifood wealth' to the Ministry of Education this Wednesday. The goal of this initiative is to introduce the reality of the agricultural sector into Primary and Secondary school textbooks. According to COAG, there is a significant lack of knowledge among young people in Castilla y León about this sector.
During the presentation of the study, the COAG coordinator in the region, Lorenzo Rivera, lamented that most young people do not know basic facts like where milk comes from. Additionally, he highlighted the growing gap between rural and urban areas, which they aim to close by introducing teachings about the realities of the countryside into the curriculum.
Rivera explained that the intention is not to criminalize the agricultural sector, but to showcase the importance of the work done by farmers and ranchers. The study prepared by COAG seeks to disseminate the significance of the agricultural sector in society, as current textbooks do not even mention agriculture. In this sense, the aim is to influence changes that reflect the importance of this sector in Spain, which is the fourth largest agrifood power in Europe and the eighth worldwide.
Moreover, it is noted that childhood obesity is on the rise, so there is a push to promote healthy eating through knowledge of the Mediterranean diet. The study also points out that agriculture and livestock farming represent nearly 10 percent of GDP across Spain. The Education Minister, Rocío Lucas, received the proposal positively, generating hopes within COAG of achieving significant changes in Primary and Secondary textbooks to reflect the reality of the primary sector and keep rural areas alive.
