Education – What are we doing wrong?

What is the purpose of an education? I have always loved asking provoking questions in class. I remember last year asking all my classes, “How many of you would like to be farmers?” In a class of 120 students, there were a few embarrassed laughs, looks of incredulity and finally…one sheepish voice says “We are management students – why would we be farmers?”

So why would are our future generation aspire to be farmers? Especially as we know there is a rash migration to urban spaces teetering on the brink of exploding. According to the UN World Food Program, 870 million people do not have enough to eat and 98 percent of them live in developing countries. Take for example Africa. As we see more urban migration, basic staples like maize, rice and wheat need to be brought in from outside the continent, overcoming large trade barriers. The cost is above US$20 billion pa—and what is more scary is that demand is projected to double by 2020 (World Bank, 2012). Urban farming (urban agriculture) could be one smart method.

Keep in mind that by 2015, the size for the global organic food and beverage market is expected to touch $104.5 billion (Markets and Markets) and this is despite the fact The American Academy of Pediatrics is unsure of the benefits of organics. GCC is buying vast tracks of farm land in Africa and for food security. We are seeing a global shift in dietary habits (more meat, diary, more expensive foods, and processed foods)! Waste management, sustainable food management and crisis management are important topics in this area. Did you know that 3/4ths of world food sales are processed foods and the largest manufacturers hold over a third of the global market (Alfranca, Rama and Tunzelmann 2003) [1]? Did you know a study in 2008 found out that over 50% of water and 30% of food was wasted? This was a study authored by Stockholm International Water Institute, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Water Management Institute. I am not even going to touch on technology, security and environment management for this area. But if the importance of farming is not realized – then how will we “manage”? Even worse – why should an education system teach our young to look down on any profession?

So getting back to my original question – the purpose of education is to educate. According to its Latin roots, it means to a breeding, a bringing up, a rearing and the purpose is to lead forth,  take out;  raise up, erect.  When we educate – we need to train our students to lead – to come out with ideas, opinions and follow them through. I am worried we are getting so “bookish” and tied down to curriculum that is at least 20 years out of date that we are missing the world turn! I am not the only one – Sir Ken Robinson talks about how schools kill creativity (TED, 2006; RSA 2012). I think we need to redefine education and see how much policy, accreditation and ranking lists should influence choice of schools and universities.

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[1] Alfranca O, Rama R, Tunzelmann N (2003) Technological fields and concentration of innovation among food and beverage multinationals. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 5.