Television gardening guru Vasili Kanidiadis was one of the special guests at the official launch of the BFA Organic School Garden Program’s latest initiative - Adopt-a-Farmer - held at Ladybird Organics on Wednesday 23 February. Vasili and his production crew filmed episodes of his popular television gardening series Vasili’s Garden at the launch, which aired on Wednesday 2 and Friday 4 March.
The launch involved the program’s first official ‘adoption’ and an on-farm induction with students from Coburg Primary School who met their adopted farmer Steve Skopilianos, of Ladybird Organics, for the first time.
Teachers, politicians, industry leaders and guests looked on as Coburg Primary School children participated in lettuce planting and strawberry harvesting, tasted and enjoyed lettuce fresh from the field and cobs of corn, and chose vegetables to take home.
Vasili said the formal connection with a farm and experience of meeting a farmer and on-farm activities would be highly influential on children’s understanding of how healthy and sustainable food is produced.
“It is so important that we get children involved in gardening and learning the basics of where their food comes from,” said Vasili.
“Programs such as this [Adopt-a-Farmer] give kids firsthand experience and appreciation of what it takes to produce the food on their tables. By bringing it back to basics, and sharing this knowledge and wisdom with the younger generations we hope that they will adopt this into their own garden on a small scale.”
Vasili said the Adopt-a-Farmer program is a perfect fit for his TV show, which aims to pass on the knowledge and wisdom of gardening to future generations, and Vasili hopes the episodes encouraged more schools to become involved with the Program.
“We hope the viewers and teachers out there will be inspired to adopt a local farmer themselves and maybe even adopt Vasili!”
Supported by Regional Development Victoria’s Future Farming initiative, the program was formally launched by Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Inga Peulich on the day.