A rich harvest of farm-life murals

The images varied wildly. Entrants from larger towns and cities produced thoroughly modern portraits of busy market stalls and rush-hour supermarkets, while those in rural parts submitted more traditional scenes of pastoral bliss. Either way, the message was unambigious.

The clamorous response to The Harvest, a mural competition organised by the Agri Aware educational trust confirmed that children, whether from urban and rural areas, share a deepening fascination with farming life.

First prize in the event went to fifth class students from St Baithin's national school, St Johnston, Co Donegal, for their cheery evocation of farmyard bustle. More than 400 primary schools entered the competition, the latest in a series of projects designed to raise the profile of Agri Aware. The organisation was established in 1996 to increase appreciation and understanding of the agriculture industry among children.

It's been a busy 12 months for Agri Aware. With the backing of the Department of Education and Science, the organisation is taking its mission directly to the classroom through initiatives such as the "agri-detective" case study project for Transition Year pupils and the expansion of its website to include an interactive quiz.

However, most attention has focused on Agri Aware's mobile farm. Since setting out on the road last March, this menagarie-in-minature on wheels has given hundreds of students first-hand experience of farmyard animals. The farm houses one cow, two calves, a sheep, triplet lambs and poultry.

Children are encouraged to interact with the exhibits. They can even milk the cow - but only if they really want to.

The project is immensely popular. In less than a year, Agri Aware has fielded requests from over 500 schools and brought the exhibit to an estimated 20,000 children. To cater for the ever-growing demand, there are plans to establish later this year a second and third unit, serving south Dublin and the Cork/Waterford regions respectively.

"It's been an across the board success," says Agri Aware general manager Thomas Keane. "Children from built-up areas in Cork and Dublin have reacted as enthusiastically as those from rural regions. Its appeal seems to go beyond schools - we are even getting requests from the corporate sector. We have definitely tapped into something."