It has been a busy period for the Australian Agricultural Centre (AAC).
After the pandemic struck, AAC transitioned to the virtual campus to connect with students and community members after they were forced to cancel in-person events.
AAC project manager Jo Marshall said that they took the opportunity to create a virtual campus and students from across Australia were able to be a part of the events held during National Science Week in 2020.
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"Covid brought the virtual medium before the physical campus. We were able to deliver education, information, training and research while in lockdown when people were not able to travel.," she said.
"We had planned hands-on events with school students and community as part of National Science Week which had to be cancelled due to Covid. It opened opportunities for us to not only connect with people but also tell their stories.
"If we would have held the National Science Week event in person, only 200 students would have been able to attend. But with the help of the virtual class, around 800 students were able to be a part of it."
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Ms Marshall further said that emphasis on holding virtual events will continue and they are talking to other agricultural bodies on how it can be delivered in the future.
The centre had received a $57,538 funding boost through the 2019 Community Building Partnership Program in grant assistance to contribute to the centre's development.
The AAC is a unique concept that aims to educate and showcase agricultural innovation and is located just minutes from Crookwell. It aims to provide a tourism and educational experience in the agricultural space for tourists, families and students.
It will contribute over $11 million in total output to the regional economy and employment of up to 40 FTE every year.
