Year 9 and 10 School Program
The first program of its kind in Australia - preparing students and teachers for the future of food and agriculture
Term Two start for 2022!
Last year saw many disruptions to schooling across the country - and even in more usual times, transitioning from one year to another is always busy! We understand that many schools may have missed the start of year sign-up date for the program, or not learned about the Farmwall until later in the year. As such, we are pleased to now be able to offer a flexible start, with an adjusted curriculum to fit the same exciting and timely learning about sustainability and regenerative agriculture into the time you have. With the Victorian Government’s Secondary Schools Agriculture Fund - a $4.5 million program for agricultural learning in Victorian schools - now open for Expressions of Interest, it’s an excellent time to consider joining the Farmwall program. Reconnect students with the school environment through hands-on, practical learning, and start their careers in a growing industry, all while promoting sustainability and a secure future for all!
About the program
The 9 or 12 month program has a specific focus each term, and is designed to:
- Enrich teaching across multiple disciplines
- Support different styles of learning
- Develop skills necessary for students’ future employment
- Help students with their Year 11 & 12 subject selection
- Support wellbeing
- Link in with co-curricular activities
Teachers who deliver this program will be supported by Farmwall throughout the year and will join forces with other schools and educators by sharing teaching resources and student feedback.
How it works
Practical teaching aid
A complete learning package
Each participating classroom receives their very own Farmwall Indoor Farming Kit, with a dual aquaponics and hydroponics growing component. All hardware and materials are included, even the fish! The kit is delivered at the start of the year and contains enough elements to engage a class of 25 students throughout the year- long program. At the end of the year it gets returned to Farmwall HQ for an annual clean and upgrade.
Live support
Resource sharing with peers
Ecosystem is Farmwall's online platform and community. Here you have access to live support 7 days a week and you can join live webinars, industry guest speaker events, personal development, and teacher networking events where resource and lesson plan sharing is incentivised. You can share your wins and your losses, feedback and ideas. We kick off as a cohort and you start the journey with peer educators across the country.
Rich educational content
Practical and relevant
Farmwall's Ecosystem platform allows educators access to video tutorials, PDF instructions and easy step-by-step guidance to deliver an engaging curriculum. Ecosystem is designed to make adapting the program to each individual classroom as easy as possible. Each term Farmwall releases new resources and materials aligning educational outcomes with the year 9 and 10 curriculum, and with the Sustainable Development Goals.
"Collaborating with Farmwall has been a fantastic experience, they have been exceptionally helpful and supportive in setting up our systems and working with the Tech School to provide challenges that engage our students with real-world problems. Having the hydroponic and aquaponics systems has sparked genuine interest and curiosity, and has provided an opportunity for our students to hone their enterprise skills, preparing them for new workplace opportunities."
- Elissa, STEM teacher, Whittlesea Tech School -
"Heaps of great content to learn. The hands-on activities in the classroom went really well, and I could see the students were engaged. Active and engaging for students at all different levels; the team at Farmwall are great people with excellent ideas and experience to share. It became obvious through the program that agriculture and food growing will be related to many exciting innovative future employment opportunities."
- Russell Smits, Fountain Gate Secondary College -
Growing the future of food - together
An engaging project-based learning program to inspire students
and help teachers save time
School Program annual breakdown
The Farmwall School Program is a hands-on and practical educational guide that connects science and tech-learning with a real world application. It combines learning from multiple areas of study and allows for cross curriculum collaboration. It weaves in the UN Sustainable Development Goals throughout the year. The program starts as a cohort across schools, with introductions, teacher onboarding and material delivery in January. Kick off is generally in the first week of Term 1, but you can now contact us for options for starting later or getting involved mid-year. Each term, the team at Farmwall releases new topics, materials, curriculum resources, and our urban farmers facilitate livestreams, guest speakers, and farmer and industry stories.
Lessons 1-10: The Future of Food and Careers
You will begin with lessons about understanding the functions of the growing system, in order to understand the future of food production. The set up procedure and design elements combined with the scientific processes of the kit will introduce students to innovative farming. They will get insights into future career paths and how learning about these topics can help them find their purpose.
Project based learning opportunities
- Setting up the system
- Regenerative farming
- Aquaponics
- Aquaculture and fish keeping
- Ecology and biology
- Growing sprouts, microgreens
- Problem solving methodology
Lessons 11-20: Design and Technology
Lessons 11-20 are a chance for students to look into the role of technology in the food production industry. We'll explore what it takes to grow food on Mars and use design thinking to design smart food systems. An introduction to entrepreneurship and how we can use growing food as a source for good, for ourselves and the communities around us, increasing equality and wellbeing and how we can measure that.
Project based learning opportunities
- Introduction to AgTech
- IoT and AI, in the food space
- Building an IoT nutrient sensor
- Growing herbs, microgreens
- 3D printing the sensors' housing
- Hydroponics and Fog-ponics
- Growing lettuce
Lessons 21-30: Science and Biodiversity
In the second half of the program, students will take a science-based approach to growing, increasing their yields with natural fertilisers they will make themselves from food waste. They will learn about the benefits of science and biodiversity in agriculture, and how it can boost the regeneration of soils. With smart 'seed bombs' students will be able to map their impact and their earned carbon credits.
Project based learning opportunities
- Processing food waste
- Making insect frass
- Brewing a natural fertiliser
- Root vegetables without soil
- Propagating seedlings
- Nutrient sensor experiments
- Making seed bombs
Lessons 31-40: Circular Economy and Urban Agriculture
Finally, through the lens of permaculture and urban agriculture we learn about how urban greenery is helping us live more sustainably in line with natural principles. We investigate the benefits of greenery and nature for our own health and wellbeing and that of the planet, and how a circular and growth mindset will offer many new exciting opportunities in the up and coming circular economy.
Project based learning opportunities
- Planting seedlings for summer
- Growing microgreens for good
- Building a permaculture garden
- Urban agriculture
- Soil biology
- Circular economy design
- Packing up the system
Curriculum Alignment
The program provides STEM and project-based learning that fits in with multiple cross-curriculum objectives, increasing student engagement and teacher collaboration.
An all-inclusive and easy subscription
A comprehensive program bringing sustainability, wellbeing, STEM, and food into the curriculum. Spots are strictly limited.
Don't miss out!
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$577.50 per term
or $2,079 per year
Suitable for a class of 25 students
All-Inclusive
- 1 incursion included with 2+ term subscription - work experience available upon request
- Excl GST, Incl Delivery - additional call-out fees: $275.00
- The fish are picked up before school holidays (end of year)
- Available Australia-wide (additional shipping applies to WA & NT)
Farmwall is certified by Social Traders Australia as an official Social Enterprise. We use 50% of our profits towards our social purpose, explained on our About page.
Certified Social Enterprise
We deliver ourselves or with Sendle - always trustworthy, quick and 100% Carbon Neutral. Our goal is to be carbon positive
before 2025.
100% Carbon Neutral Delivery
All the materials are sent back to Farmwall at the end of the year to avoid waste, maximise recycling and reuse and upgrade the tools for maximum use the next year. We operate on a circular economy business model.
Zero Waste
Join our fast-growing list of participating and associated schools
If you would like to learn more about what the program entails, you can book a one-on-one information session with our Education Coordinator, Elliott, to chat through the details and get to know us before joining us on this amazing journey.
Book an info session
