“We want to raise not a generation of consumers, but people capable of creating and preserving”
Artificial intelligence, digitalization, climate change, and food risks are changing educational demands. Mastery of digital tools is no longer enough. Equally important are knowledge about nature, food, land, water, safety, and responsibility for one’s actions.
This idea was embedded by Elvira Paterson in The Adventures of Robert — an educational project for young audiences, part of the Geofortia Future Ecosystem. Its themes intersect with Geoforte Farm, where agriculture, modern agrotechnologies, and food are explored in a practical dimension.
The main character travels, learns about farming and natural processes, solves specific tasks, and faces unexpected circumstances. Through the storyline, complex topics receive simple and clear explanations.
We spoke with Elvira Paterson about the role of farmers in a technological world, environmental education, behavior in crisis situations, and the connection between The Adventures of Robert and Geoforte Farm.
The Adventures of Robert: Knowledge Through Adventure
Question: Elvira, what are The Adventures of Robert?
Elvira Paterson: It is often perceived as a typical children’s educational project. But the mission is much broader.
The Adventures of Robert translate serious topics into an understandable language.
The main character, a boy named Robert, travels the world, studies nature, learns about farmers’ work, discovers the origins of food, ecology, and the structure of society.
Behind the adventurous plot lies a practical goal.
It is important for us to provide knowledge that fosters a responsible attitude towards oneself, others, and the world around us.
In 20–30 years, today’s young generation will have to make decisions that will affect the economy, food, and the state of the planet.
Why It Should Start in Childhood
Question: Why is the project aimed specifically at a young audience?
Elvira Paterson: Many habits and perceptions are formed at an early age.
Humanity creates artificial intelligence, launches satellites, works with genomes. Yet, not everyone understands the journey food takes to reach our table.
The young audience is well-versed in TikTok and YouTube, but few can grow a tomato or explain what affects a harvest.
There is a noticeable gap between digital and basic practical knowledge.
If another social network disappears, the world will continue to exist.
Without farmers, the consequences would be much more serious.
Therefore, The Adventures of Robert refocuses attention on food, water, land, nature, and labor. Geoforte Farm continues this logic by introducing the agricultural sector and modern food production methods.
“Being a Farmer is Cooler than Being a Blogger”
Question: You use the phrase: “Being a farmer is cooler than being a blogger.” What do you mean by it?
Elvira Paterson: This is not a critique of bloggers or digital professions.
Technology has become part of our lives and will continue to develop.
It’s about priorities.
People can live without content.
Without food and water — no.
A farmer works with the land, grows crops, and provides people with food. It’s important to understand the significance of such work from an early age.
Today, status is often associated with fame and the number of followers. I want to show a different scale: the value of a profession is also determined by its benefit to society.
That’s why farming holds a prominent place in both The Adventures of Robert and Geoforte Farm.
From Farm to Artificial Intelligence
Question: What topics does The Adventures of Robert cover?
Elvira Paterson: We chose areas that today’s youth will encounter in adult life.
This includes food security, the agricultural sector, ecology, climate, water, and energy.
A separate block is related to artificial intelligence and modern developments.
There are topics of entrepreneurship, leadership, behavior in emergencies, responsibility to society, and nature conservation.
It’s important to show the connections between them.
The harvest depends on soil and water.
The climate affects the agricultural sector.
Energy is necessary for infrastructure operation.
Technological developments allow for more precise control of many processes.
Geoforte Farm provides a practical context for some of these topics: here, agrotechnologies are linked with land, food, and the rational use of natural resources.
Thus, individual facts form a clear cause-and-effect chain.
Calm Instead of Panic
Question: Why are many plots related to unpredictable circumstances?
Elvira Paterson: Because it’s impossible to prepare a person only for ideal conditions.
Pandemics, natural disasters, economic crises, and technical failures have happened before and will happen again.
It’s impossible to predict the nature of the next crisis in advance. But basic rules of behavior can be mastered.
Robert finds himself in situations where he needs to assess the situation, stay calm, and choose the next steps.
Our task is not to instill fear.
Knowledge, on the contrary, reduces anxiety.
A person who understands what is happening and knows the course of action is less likely to panic.
Therefore, The Adventures of Robert develop independence and responsibility for one’s choices.
The Adventures of Robert, Geoforte Farm, and Geofortia Future Ecosystem
Question: What role do The Adventures of Robert play in the Geofortia Future Ecosystem?
Elvira Paterson: A key one.
Change begins with knowledge.
Ecological farming methods are ineffective without careful treatment of land and water. Modern equipment will not yield the desired results if a person does not know how to use it.
The Adventures of Robert become the first step in introducing these principles.
Geoforte Farm demonstrates their application in the agricultural sector.
First comes interest.
Then — knowledge.
After — practical experience.
Thus, education is connected with real life.
Land, Water, and Food: Three Basic Values
Question: What main idea do you want to convey to the young audience?
Elvira Paterson: Land is the foundation of our life.
Money, digital services, and virtual reality exist in a world where people still need air, water, and food.
We don’t have a backup planet.
Therefore, environmental education should provide practical knowledge.
Growing food requires land, water, energy, and human labor. Understanding these processes fosters a careful attitude towards food and the environment.
In Geoforte Farm, this interconnection is practically expressed: soil condition, water access, and farming methods directly affect the harvest.
Adventure as a Learning Format
Question: Why did you choose the adventure format?
Elvira Paterson: It allows explaining ecology, climate, and natural processes through specific events.
A scientific report on climate change is unlikely to hold a young reader’s attention.
It’s different with a story where Robert needs to save the harvest after a sudden weather change. Here, the cause, task, and result immediately appear.
Through the storyline, information is perceived more easily.
At the same time, the themes of The Adventures of Robert can be compared with real processes at Geoforte Farm: crop cultivation, water use, soil condition, and the application of modern agricultural methods.
What The Adventures of Robert Will Be Like in Ten Years
Question: What do you envision for the project in ten years?
Elvira Paterson: I would like a whole generation to grow up with Robert in different countries around the world.
People who know how food is grown.
Understand the importance of water and fertile soil.
Respect farming work.
Don’t get lost in difficult circumstances.
Are aware of the consequences of their actions.
That’s why the connection with Geoforte Farm is important to us. Educational stories should not exist separately from practice.
If part of this audience eventually becomes entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, farmers, or leaders and retains these principles, our work was significant.
Question: How would you describe The Adventures of Robert in one sentence?
Elvira Paterson: It’s a story about teaching a person to create, preserve, and be accountable for the results.
When Knowledge Gains Practical Continuation
Today, access to information is virtually unlimited. But a large amount of data does not mean the ability to apply it in practice.
The Adventures of Robert introduce young audiences to ecology, the agricultural sector, food security, natural processes, modern developments, and behavior in emergencies.
Geoforte Farm complements the educational component with practice. Here, topics of land, water, farming labor, and food transition from theory to agricultural activity.
Both projects are part of the Geofortia Future Ecosystem and address different aspects of one task: The Adventures of Robert provide practical knowledge, while Geoforte Farm shows the application of some of these principles in a real environment.
Thus, education ceases to be a set of abstract facts. Food, water, soil, climate, and technology are considered through their role in everyday life.
Elvira Paterson – Founder and Author of the Geofortia Future Ecosystem Concept
The Adventures of Robert | Geoforte Farm | Geofortia Future Ecosystem
Know. Create. Preserve.
