Tubs program saw 8,000 kids growing potatoes. Our Pencil Patch garden, a place where young children can come and learn how to garden, near the Ministry offices in Abbotsford is doing well.”
Babineau stated she never envisioned the AITC program would expand into the size of operation it is today.
“When I first started I thought I would primarily be putting information materials together, and I did do a lot of that. I started out by going to schools to get the teachers interested in agriculture. Many of them didn’t even know what the word agriculture meant. As things got bigger I became more of an administrator than anything else. And I was able to introduce what seemed like crazy ideas and then watch them grow.” She said the B.C. program is definitely one of the country’s bigger ones.
“We are reaching more students than most of the AITC programs in Canada and we still have room to grow. That is due to the tremendous support the program has. We can’t over-estimate the continuous demand
for food programs in our schools. If there is one exceptional benefit to the program it has been its ability to connect school students to where and how their food is produced and that objective has carried the program forward to heights no one could imagine 10 years ago.”
Another plus for the program, she said, is the number of teachers who now know more about agriculture and its importance in our daily lives and are now capable of providing their students with basic food knowledge that they will carry forward into the next generation.
A lot of those teachers learned more about agriculture by attending the summer school at the former UBC farm at Oyster River on Vancouver Island.
“I recall a teacher who was sitting at the breakfast table and was startled when she glanced out a nearby window to see a cow. She had never seen a cow up close before.”
Lindsay recalled another incident in which one of the teachers said she only ate organic food. However, she screamed and yelled ‘how can you serve me this?” when her salad was
served with a bug sitting on a leaf of the lettuce. When Babineau asked what the problem was, the teacher responded by saying there was a bug in her salad, to which she replied, “Well you wanted organic food didn’t you?” “Apparently, she had no idea what
organic food was. I didn’t put the bug there, but I was grateful it happened to be there.”
Babineau says the Oyster River facility is a beautiful place and she was sorry to hear it was being sold. “It afforded teachers an opportunity to gather for a week together with no distractions and came away knowing that there was now an organization in place which could help them in future to expand their knowledge of agriculture.”
Pat Tonn takes over from Babineau. “She and I have been colleagues here in Abbotsford for year. She occupied the office next to mine where she was a longtime coordinator for 4-H. She sat on our board and has been our ministry contact.”
Tonn went through the entire hiring process and came out on top, “so I’m pleased to have a friend sitting in my chair.”
British Columbia Berry Grower • Fall 2015 11
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