Our Schools at Democracy Day

The Ministry of Agriculture is directly responsible for 11 higher agricultural schools. The “International Day of Democracy” takes place annually on 15 September. For the third time, Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig invited students from BMLUK schools to Vienna for a personal exchange and to get to know various institutions.

Why the invitation? In addition to professional training, it is important that our students are educated to become responsible and informed decision-makers. At a time when social media and artificial intelligence shape our everyday lives, it is important to question content critically. Therefore, Democracy Day on 15 September 2026 focused on the topic of “Fake News, Social Media and Media Literacy”. This provided an insight into the work of the media.

As part of a guided tour, the students had the opportunity to discover the ORF Centre at Küniglberg. They also had the opportunity to take part in the “Bad News Game” at “Erlebnis Europa”, the European Parliament’s information and exhibition centre. The game aims to teach media literacy.

During a discussion with lawyer Sabrina Meindlhumer-Jevremovic, who specialises in media law, farmer and “farmfluencer” Johannes Burchhart (@bauernjohny), and Stefanie Mayer, Head of the BMLUK Social Media Team, the students gained a behind-the-scenes insight. A personal exchange with Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig brought the event to a close.

This event demonstrated how disinformation can divide our society and highlighted the importance of a critical approach to media for a functioning democracy.