Australia's food and fibre industries represent one of the most dynamic and innovative sectors in the national economy — and they offer extraordinary potential as a context for rich, authentic Design and Technology learning.
This presentation introduces a suite of curriculum-linked teaching resources developed by the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA) that connect Design and Technology teachers in Queensland with the people, processes, and technologies behind the food on our plates and the fibres in our clothing.
From precision agriculture and smart irrigation systems to food packaging design, supply chain traceability, and biotechnology applications, Australia's agricultural industries are alive with the kind of real-world design thinking and technological problem-solving that sits at the heart of our curriculum. Yet for many Design and Technology teachers, making that connection accessible and classroom-ready has remained a challenge — until now.
Participants will explore PIEFA's free digital platforms, Primezone and Career Harvest, and discover how existing resources can be mapped to Queensland Design and Technology curriculum frameworks across multiple year levels. The session will showcase exemplar resources, highlight industry partnerships that bring authentic contexts into the classroom, and share practical strategies for embedding food and fibre industry perspectives into design briefs, project-based learning sequences, and student investigation tasks.
Whether you teach at a junior or senior level, this presentation will leave you with immediately usable resources and fresh ideas for bringing one of Australia's most innovative sectors to life in your classroom.