Rabobank’s Rabo Community Fund has partnered with ‘George the Farmer’ on ‘his’ mission to help educate children about where their food and fibre comes from in both a fun and educational way during this year’s National Book Week – August 20-26.
The specialist agribusiness bank and George the Farmer – a fictional character featured in a series of educational resources – will be awarding 50 primary schools across Australia a George the Farmer book set for their school libraries.
Rabobank client council manager, Yvette Loyson said George the Farmer’s down-to-earth manner and grassroots charm resonates “terrifically” with young children in rural locations while inspiring city-based children to have a better understanding and connection to agriculture.
Ms Loyson said George the Farmer’s mission aligns well with the Rabo Community Fund’s key theme of creating urban/rural connections.
The world’s leading specialist food and agribusiness bank, Rabobank is one of Australia’s largest agricultural lenders and a major provider of business and corporate banking services to the country’s food and agribusiness sector.
Last year, the bank launched the Rabo Community Fund in Australia and New Zealand to invest in the sustainability and vitality of rural communities.
“As a cooperative, Rabobank has a rich history of community engagement and always looks to make an impact across the rural communities in which our clients live and work,” Ms Loyson said.
“The Rabo Community Fund’s priorities are led by the bank’s farming clients, who are at the heart of their communities, supporting local initiatives with the aim of tangibly and meaningfully contributing to the vibrancy and resilience of rural Australia.”
She said the George the Farmer book sets would contribute to increasing awareness of food and fibre production at schools, “potentially even sparking some children’s interest to pursue a career in agriculture.”
Ms Loyson said the book week initiative would be part of an ongoing partnership with George the Farmer.
The George the Farmer story began in 2012 when founder Simone Kain was trawling the internet looking for farming books and apps for her farm-obsessed son George.
Ms Kain said the toddler was desperate to be out with his dad on the farm and she wanted to find something to entertain and inspire him while he was indoors.
“I quickly discovered there wasn’t a human farming character globally who was telling sequential stories about life on the land for children, let alone a modern Aussie farmer telling real, relatable yarns,” she said.
