TWO AgForce Queensland representatives will speak at the world's largest agricultural educators conference in the United States next week.
AgForce School to Industry Partnerships Program officers Ali Briggs and Tanya Nagle will present their paper Agriculture Education in Australia - What can we learn from each other? to the prestigious 2016 National Association of Agricultural Educators Convention Conference in Las Vegas on November 30.
Mrs Briggs said it was the first time QLD representatives had been asked to present at the US conference.
"Our presentation will look at the reasons why the number of students studying for agricultural qualifications has halved in the past decade in Australia and how this can be remedied," she said.
"We will then share and compare how agriculture is taught in each country and what the best strategies are to increase the uptake of agriculture in schools.
"Tanya and I will not only be able to showcase agricultural education in Queensland but also see first-hand world leading school agricultural programs which are providing exceptional career opportunities.
"We will also meet with industry leaders to investigate the importance of partnerships and engagement with schools and students.
"This is a great opportunity for all Australian educators as we will be able to present the knowledge we gain on this trip at our 'Ideas to Grow With' Food, Fibre and Agricultural Educators conference in Brisbane in January."
During their time in the United States they will also visit Texas and California on a study tour of agriculture education programs. Some highlights of the study tour will be visits to the top agriculture university Texas A&M, King Ranch (home of the Santa Gertrudis cattle) and a number of primary and secondary high schools with successful agriculture programs.
The AgForce School to Industry Partnership Program (SIPP) is a unique primary industry education program that works across Queensland to develop and strengthen partnerships between all sectors of agriculture and engages with primary and secondary schools.