Kids across the Bellarine are learning how to grow their food and connecting with the community as the Farm My School project continues.
The 2024-25 state budget provided $106,000 to the project, which helped Bellarine Secondary College’s Drysdale Campus turn a disused soccer pitch into a working farm.
Member for the Bellarine Alison Marchant said the project was an investment in the region’s students and future.
“This funding will help young people at Bellarine Secondary College gain vital skills, all while nourishing and connecting our community,” she said.
The food education program transforms unused land within schools into regenerative market gardens that feed, educate and connect communities.
The Bellarine Secondary College farm gives students a hands-on learning experience that leads to pathways for a career in agriculture, horticulture, and science.
The farm also creates a space for health and wellbeing, boosting students’ confidence, resilience and self-esteem, with close to 675 students involved in the program.
The project looks to engage, educate and embed sustainable, regenerative farming practices into the school’s curriculum.
It also allows students to learn about food systems and how they impact health, the environment, and the community.
The one-and-a-half-acre market garden with more than two kilometres of no-dig garden beds was built at the school two years ago during a 24-hour ‘Build a Farm in a Day’ event.
Farm My School builds on the state government’s $750 million investment to improve senior secondary education.
