Imagine: students investing in a beehive, fruit trees, oysters or a herd of cattle, priming them to be the agricultural leaders of tomorrow, all without leaving the classroom.
With Invest in Farming’s new educational app, IIFed, and with the help of a $50,000 grant from Telematics Trust, this vision has become a reality. Through the IIFed platform, students are able to engage with farming by placing virtual money into real-life farms on their mobile devices.
Through this gamified experience, they can then watch their crops and herds, as well as their investment (quite literally) grow, ensuring these future farmers can follow along throughout the entire growth cycle, learn how to overcome challenges and share in the harvest ‘profits’.
Creating Connection with Farming
Both nationally and globally, the agricultural sector is facing significant challenges, from financial pressures to climate volatility. One of the key solutions to overcoming these obstacles is inspiring young people to understand and value where their food comes from. Research by the National Farmers Federation reveals that 83% of Australians feel a distant or non-existent connection to farming, underscoring the need for increased exposure and education.
Invest In Farming is tackling this head-on. By providing an immersive and hands-on experience, IIFed is helping students vividly understand the complexities of farming. And it’s not just about crops and livestock; students also learn how weather events and other external factors impact farming and the agricultural market, giving them a practical understanding of the food supply chain.
A Game-Changer for Agricultural Education
By bringing farm-based learning into the classroom through innovative digital technology, IIF has also created a tool that is scalable and far-reaching. Telematics is especially excited by the prospect of accessibility; whether they’re in a remote town or an urban classroom, all students can gain direct exposure to the agricultural world.
CASE STUDY
With Telematics’ support, IIFed’s offering has been able to expand. Throughout the growing cycle, students now receive video updates on the farms they’ve invested in, learning firsthand about the challenges and rewards of farming. IIF has also accelerated the platform's rollout, with 500 students in 30 classrooms already engaged, and expansion into New Zealand and North America on the horizon.
Innovative, Scalable, and Accessible Learning
IIFed represents just one step in IIF’s ongoing work to modernise how we think about agricultural education and financing. Their experience with farmers from every state and sector – including aquaculture, livestock, broadacre, and horticulture – has informed the content contained within IIFed, ensuring that it can complement various curricula.
Elliott Kraa, Marketing Manager at IIF, shared his thoughts on how their Telematics Trust grant assisted the IIFed project:
"The Telematics grant has been a game-changer for IIFed, enabling us to connect more schools with our immersive, gamified learning platform. IIFed bridges the gap between classrooms and real-world farming, allowing students to participate in Australia's agricultural industry. This hands-on approach deepens their understanding of farming processes, from paddock to plate, and makes learning about agriculture interactive and engaging. We are grateful to the Telematics Trust for their invaluable support in helping us make agricultural education accessible to diverse communities within Victoria and across Australia."
By gaining a deeper appreciation for the farmers who produce our food, IIFed is changing the way students experience agriculture. If you're an educator interested in bringing IIFed into your classroom, register your interest here.
