Celebrating a Decade of Youth Ag Education with Journey 2050

Way back in 2014, we launched a school program with an incredible group of partners to challenge Grades 7-12 students to answer the question, "How will we sustainably feed nearly 10 billion people by the year 2050?"

Since then, nearly 75,000students have participated in experiences led by program partners across Canada and the US, and nearly 900,000studentsfrom countries all around the globe, have risen to the challenge by playing the educational game.

"Watching this program grow each year is one of the most gratifying experiences in my job," explains Chloe Sprecker, Senior Advisor, Community Relations and Education. "In 2023, over 170,000 active users learned about agriculture by playing this game. This is a testament to it being a fun way to learn that supports what students are learning in class. And that makes it great for teachers, too - flexible program options allow any teacher to leverage the free curriculum and feel confident they are bringing unbiased, science-based information into their classroom."

Why 2050? The year 2050 is a key moment in time - the world's population will be a projected 10 billion. As a result, food production needs are expected to rise by 60-70% and changing agronomic conditions will place pressure on agricultural yields.

Using an inquiry-based approach, Journey 2050, a gamified, virtual program, encourages students to make decisions and adjust them as they see their impact on society, the environment, and the economy at a local and global scale. Students virtually farm with real farm familiesfrom Kenya, India, and Canada or the United States, learning about their crops, challenges, and opportunities to understand how agriculture differs across the globe.

As students interact with each family, they learn the role of best management practices in feeding the world, reducing environmental impacts, and improving social performance through greater access to education, medical care, and community infrastructure.Additional lessons teach students about land-use, cultural influences, technology and innovation and the vast careers available in agriculture.

In honor of tenth anniversary,our friends at the Calgary Stampede caught up with one of the farm families featured in the program, the Oloo family in Siaya County, Kenya to learn about what has happened on their farm over the last decade.

"It is imperative that everyone understands how our present-day decisions impact our future lives and to showcase the importance of agriculture," explains Tim Faveri, VP of Sustainability & Stakeholder Relations."It's particularly important that the young people of today are highly aware of global food security challengesand educated aboutthe agriculture and food, as they will be the decision-makers in 2050."

Think you know a teacher or student up for the challenge? Journey 2050 offers seven hours of learning on key sustainability topics! The program was written with teachers to ensure it complements national standards and STEM curriculum, especially in grades 7-12. Join us on Journey 2050 here!