American Samoa: Agriculture Safety Day at Elementary Schools

American Samoa: Agriculture Safety Day at Elementary Schools

By James Kneubuhl, ASCC Press Officer

Tuesday, May 17, 2011 - Students in several of Tutuila’s elementary schools enjoy a break from their normal routine when Progressive Agriculture Safety Day comes to their campus. Presented by staff from the Community & Natural Resources Division (CNR) at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC), sometimes accompanied by representatives of government agencies who share concerns for the safety of our island’s youngsters, Progressive Agriculture Safety Day takes the form of a morning long series of sessions on various safety topics.

“When we visit a school, we usually present four sessions for four different groups, who rotate between the sessions in whatever order the hosting school chooses,” said Lefua Amio Mavaega-Luvu of the CNR Agriculture Extension. During a recent visit to Iakina Adventist Academy, Mavaega-Luvu and other Agriculture Extension staff were joined by CNR colleagues from the ASCC-CNR Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, and the group presented a morning of discussions on topics as diverse as nutrition, food safety, basic first aid, the correct use of farm tools, and how to handle pesticides safely.

“The idea is to make farm life safer and healthier for children through education and training ", said Mavaega-Luvu. “We teach the kids to be alert and to how to avoid accidents and problems that could occur around them, not just in an agricultural setting, but also at home and at school. We want them to know what to do when accidents happen, especially if they are alone with no adults nearby. In addition to the CNR staff, other government agencies occasionally participate when time allows. For example, staff members of the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) have participated in all of the Progressive Agriculture Safety Days, giving presentations on subjects including Chemical Safety and Hazardous Materials.

CNR brings Progressive Agriculture Safety Day to several of American Samoa’s elementary schools every year through funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Extension Program, and the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, whose mission is to educate children on simple safety precautions that can prevent injury or death. Initiated in 1995, the program trains and provides the resources which local communities use to conduct one-day safety programs that are age-appropriate, hands-on, fun, and safe for children. While the basic program reaches children ages of 8 to 13, Safety Days may also be conducted for 4- to 7-year-olds or even entire families. Progressive Agriculture Safety Days are conducted in the United States, Canada and the U.S. territories, and the Association also sponsors Community Safety Days for adults.

2011 marks the sixth year CNR has brought the program to American Samoa, with the number of schools visited each year depending on available funding from the Progressive Agriculture Association. “Last year we proposed and got approved for three school visits and one Safety Day for the community,” explained Mavaega-Luvu, “and thus this year we've got approved for five schools, three of them public and private, as well as another Community Progressive Agriculture Safety Day we will hold at ASCC on June 9th.”

According to Mavaega-Luvu, most elementary school students welcome the change of pace and important information the Safety Days offer. “The schools appreciate that we share this information on subjects and issues they don’t touch on very often”, she said. “It reminds teachers as well as students that we never know when an emergency will occur, or some situation where someone needs to take the lead.” While the content of the Safety Days goes further than farm situations, any discussion of subjects even remotely related to agriculture sometimes sparks students interest in that topic. “We do often end up answering their questions about the field of Agriculture, since it’s all part of science,” said Mavaega-Luvu. “Some students do not know what Agriculture is, so we explain where we get taros, bananas, vegetables, fruits, rice, potatoes, milk and other such products from. We’ve shared with them that without Agriculture products and produce we won’t survive, and it opens up their minds to the big picture of this important field.”

Two more elementary schools on island can look forward to their own Progressive Agriculture Safety Day, as the CNR crew will visit Siliaga Elementary School in Aloau on May 19th and St. Francis School in Lefua on September 26th. For more information on ASCC CNR Agriculture Safety Day, please contact Lefua Amio Mavaega-Luvu and/or Helen Lago at 699-1394/1575. Information the Progressive Agriculture Association is available on their web page at: www.progressiveag.org.

ENDS

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