“Agro is everything”

an account of extension activities for children involving food production

Abstract

Many children do not know the agricultural production system because they live in the city. Therefore, allowing the contact of these children with the different production systems of the food chain means providing new experiences and new concepts. The objective of this work was to explain to children how the food production system works, from its implementation in the field to the final consumer. The project involved the participation of 10 schools and 150 children with ages ranging from 5 to 14 years old in the municipality of Lavras, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Through qualitative methodologies it was possible to assess the impact of the visit on the lives of children, parents and teachers. The activity was developed at the Department of Agriculture of the Federal University of Lavras, involving sectors of fruit, olericulture, coffee and entomology. It was concluded that the experience had a positive impact on the lives of children, parents and teachers, showing that the exposure of children to differentiated experiences further benefits early childhood education.