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Youth Explore Food System Careers
What do you know about careers in the Canadian food sector? Did you know that there are hundreds of possible job titles, many thousands of job openings each year, and endless paths to lead you there?
As part of Seeds of Diversity's Youth in Food Systems program, we have created an interview series project that allows volunteers to ask professionals working in the agricultural and food sector questions about their jobs and experiences, and allows for learning about food systems careers. Youth volunteers are responsible for selecting individuals to interview, researching, creating questions, reaching out to interviewees, setting up virtual interviews, conducting the interviews, and writing blog posts.
Why is it important for young people to learn about food systems careers?
The average Canadian farmer is now 55 - 59 years old.
The farming and food supply system provides one in every eight jobs in Canada.
In light of these facts, and that most of today’s young people are largely unaware of how food is produced, processed, distributed, and disposed of, we believe that youth must be encouraged to see viability in food careers.
The intention of the series is to highlight the vast array of possibilities that exist in agriculture and food, and to demonstrate the ins and outs of how and why they are viable career options for young people to pursue.
Many people underestimate agri-food and its significance. The lack of education in schools about possible careers in this area makes it difficult for youth to acquire knowledge on this topic. However, every day, people working in this area help supply Canadians with fresh foods that keep us fed and keep our economy within and outside the country going, which brings our community together. Thus, this interview experience is a great way for the interviewers to learn more in ‘face-to-face’ conversations, and for our broader audience to benefit from learning, too.
Something that a lot of people don’t realize about our food systems is that they are so multi-faceted! We’re talking about primary agriculture, but also research and development, land-use consulting, agro-tourism, soil and water analysis, environmental law, marketing, and so much more. As we work to shift towards more sustainable food systems, there are many careers requiring advanced skill sets that will be in increasing demand and we will need people to fill these roles. It’s exciting but it also means that we have to educate and inspire young people to see these as being viable career options and to get excited themselves about the vast possibilities out there. We hope that this series will be a way to shed some light on this, and that the interviews are being led by youth is a neat way to increase engagement through peer-to-peer relatability.
How’s it going?
Very well! To date, six interviews have been released, with two more coming out this season. Season 2 will run during Fall 2022, featuring another eight interviews. The following are the fantastic individuals who have been interviewed so far:
Bob Wildfong
Executive director, Seeds of Diversity
Sunday Harrison
Executive director, Green Thumbs Growing Kids
Reg Noble
Associate researcher and instructor, (formerly Ryerson) University
Jill Bishop
Owner, Urban Tomato
Marishka Radwanski
Kitchen facilitator, Harmony Community Food Centre
Jordan Hofstra
Project Estimator and Research Lead, Zinco Canada
Chloe van Acker
R&D specialist, Caldic Canada Inc.
Nancy Hainsworth
Owner, Nancy’s Creations and Seeds
In the words of one of the youth interviewers, Margarita (who interviewed Bob Wildfong):
“The Youth in Food Systems interview series project not only teaches but inspires us, the younger generation, to continue doing something for our planet and nature. Moreover, it teaches students to work independently, perform key responsibilities, and develop communication skills. My favourite part of the interview was talking about farmer's markets, where people come together to educate and share their knowledge of seeds and agriculture in general. You can buy or sell some of the commodities you grow and interact with others as part of the community.”
Learn more and watch our Careers in Food Systems Interview Series here.
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