Volunteer and excited students posing for group photo

Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM)

2023 Impact Report

Dear Supporters!

Your generosity helped thousands of Manitoba students build stronger connections to the food they eat and develop a deeper appreciation for the role agriculture plays in their lives during Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM)/Mois de la littératie agricole canadienne (MLAC) in March 2023!

CALM made a triumphant in-person return to the classroom this year after two years of virtual programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, our focus in Manitoba was on Food Loss and Waste. Students explored each step of the food supply chain from farm to plate through an interactive activity, learning about how the industry in Manitoba works to limit food loss and how we all can reduce food waste.

CALM is an initiative of Agriculture in the Classroom Canada. Now in its 12th year, it celebrates linking students to food producers and leaders in the agriculture industry so the next generation of Canadians not only knows where their food comes from, but also the importance of the sector to communities from coast to coast. Learn more about the program here.

Below you’ll find information about the event’s impact, as well as resources you can use to share your impact with your teams and audiences. 

CALM/MLAC 2023

  • Participants: Students Grades 2, 3 and 4
  • Venue: 336 English and French classrooms across Manitoba
  • Dates: March 2023

Impact Numbers

  • 7,094 student experiences recorded
  • 312 teacher experiences recorded              
  • 336 classrooms reached                      
  • 181 schools reached                                                                    
  • 150 volunteers participated                          
  • 336 activities/resources distributed
  • 742 volunteer hours were provided by supporters to make this event possible
  • $10, 017 worth of volunteer contributions from our partners went into running this program
CALM volunteer high-fiving students

Quotes from Participants

Teachers

“The in-person visit really is significant for my students to engage and connect to the content. I love the activities and materials provided. Always high quality. Thank you so much!” 
– Carolynn Enns, South Oaks Elementary, Grade 2

“This was my first experience having a volunteer in the classroom. It was such a great experience! I learned so much and was so excited to share the presentation with my family and friends. I will definitely recommend this program to my co-workers and continue to do it for future years! So well organized and the supplies were such an amazing bonus. Thank you!”
– Danika Romaniw, Bernie Wolfe School, Grades 1, 2

“Most of the young children who live in urban areas think that their food comes from the grocery store. They do not think how the vegetables, fruits, grains meats and products got there. CALM brings young adults to share their personal agricultural story and have engaging activities to explore where our food comes from.”
–Sheila Verhaeghe, Ecole Neil Campbell School, Grade 2/3

“My students live on a farm but they still learned so much from this presentation.”
– Jennifer Nesbitt, Bon Homme Colony School, Kindergarten, Grade 4

“The students were actually wonder-struck at the way food is produced.”
– Harbans Rihal, Greenway School, Grade 4

Volunteers

“As a first time CALM volunteer, I was nervous but I had so much fun! The kids were entertaining and engaged, and told me all about their own knowledge of farming (one student's grandparents in India farmed) and about their own backyard gardens and compost. It was great to see how excited they got about the food waste prevention, as they really understood that those were actions they can (and in some cases already do) implement at home!”            
– Lynda Nicol, Manitoba Association of Watersheds

“The principal of the school stayed for the class. It was the first time a CALM presentation had been to their school. She said it was excellent and she was going to promote CALM registering for CALM sessions to all of her staff for 2024! Excellent resources, PowerPoint template, and virtual training session! This CALM session could certainly be used again next year.”
– Gina Sunderland, Manitoba Chicken Producers

“I think the best part was seeing the kids engage in the activity and having them relate a specific crop type to a food that they would eat on a regular basis. When looking at wheat, I asked if anyone had toast for breakfast and one student said that he had a bagel instead. It lead into a whole conversation about how many things could be made from wheat and they all seemed to be listening intently as we went through that part. I wish I had signed up for more presentations! It was an absolute blast and very well put together!”
–Thomas Cuddy, Pitura Seeds

“It was wonderful time. The kids touched the samples, answered questions and were greatly involved.  I enjoyed that very much. We spoke about agriculture and logistics, geography and climate, I shared “my story” about living in Ukraine, about our flag and the symbol of grain on it. Thank you again for the great opportunity to be a part of such a helpful and important project.”
– Tetiana Dosuzha, Cargill

CALM 2023 materials

Photos

Click on the button below to access and download photos from Dropbox. Permission has been grated for use of these photos. If you have any questions or need any assistance, please contact ryan@aitc.mb.ca.

Media Coverage

Help us launch CALM/MLAC 2024!

These amazing experiences would not have been possible without your vision and commitment. We are inspired by your dedication and look forward to our continued partnership in nurturing the next generation of consumers, voters, innovators, and agriculture professionals.

Inspire Through Stories

Educators and students love books – and so do we. Your generous donation will allow us to distribute 400 agriculture-themed storybooks and fuel young imaginations during CALM/MLAC 2024. 

Pitura Seeds volunteer posing with students
CALM/MLAC logos
Contact

Need something you don't see here? Want to share your Amazing Agriculture Adventure story? Let us know! Contact:

Ryan McBride
ryan@aitc.mb.ca
204-898-1070

Katharine Cherewyk
Executive Director
katharine@aitc.mb.ca
204-782-4575 

Thank you to our amazing CALM/MLAC 2023 Sponsors!

Cargill Logo
AITC-Canada Logo