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Agriculture in Education

Virtual farms take Ag

life to city students

Written by Annie Schubert

Veterinary science students at universities across the country are getting a year-
round glimpse of farm life without leaving campus.

4 D Virtual Farms allow and safety risks before heading out.

students to experience on-
There’s also the possibility that in
years to come, the wider community
farm life so they can see
the lay of the land before
goes on beyond the farm-gate.
heading out on placements will have the opportunity to see what
thanks to crisp, clear, high-resolution
images stitched together to create According to Stuart, a lot of students
navigable panoramas. who are studying veterinary
Access to science, Technology, Innovation, Productivity and Profitability
science currently tend to be from
D Virtual Farms allow students to city backgrounds. Many haven’t
experience on-farm life so they actually ever seen a farm, much
can see the lay of the land before less gained practical experience on
heading out on placements thanks one. Considering their job pathways
to crisp, clear, high-resolution images may lead to some kind of rural or
stitched together to create navigable agricultural work, and all Australasian
panoramas. vet students are required to go
on placement, a resource linking
Developed at the University of students to farms became obviously
Melbourne, 4D Virtual Farms are now necessary.
a collaborative effort between a group
of universities across Australia and New “There weren’t a lot of resources
Zealand. One of the creators is Doctor for students to see what happened
Stuart Barber, a lecturer of veterinary on-farm before they went out on
“A lot of students science at the University of Melbourne. placement, where they stay and
studying vet learn on a farm,” Stuart says.
science aren’t from Stuart believes the concept is
rural Australia, and working out particularly well: it’s “A lot of students studying vet
so a lot of farmers a resource that helps students science aren’t from rural Australia,
reckon the city kids experience seasonal conditions and so a lot of farmers reckon the
don’t have a lot of across the country and the Tasman city kids don’t have a lot of common
common sense,” and identify environmental health sense,” Stuart laughs.

The Australian Farmer • Issue 2017