Despite the crisis, more students are opting for agriculture

On September 1, they will welcome about 740 students at the Vrij Agro- en Biotechnical Institute in Roeselare. Of these, remarkably more students opt for the fields of agriculture, horticulture and animal care. Students learn to drive the tractor, grow vegetables and take care of animals.

According to the teachers, the explanation for this increase is easy to explain. “I think there has been more interest in general nature since the corona era,” says teacher Heidi Desmedt.

“Bitten by the Microbe”

Although there is a lot to do about nitrogen and the necessary permits in agriculture, the students know why they choose this direction. “I live in a farming family and that has interested me from an early age. My parents let me drive the tractor from an early age,” says Stijn Van Hove.

The passion for farming is therefore greater than the current crisis in agriculture. And the teachers notice that too. “They choose that course because they are really bitten by that microbe. They want to learn everything about it.”