Virtual reality giving kids a taste of the farming life

Thousands of children are getting a first-hand view of where their food and fibre is grown, without setting foot on a farm.

Virtual reality is transporting the youngsters directly to the land from a pavilion designed to educate kids at Sydney's Royal Easter Show.

The VR goggles allowed Sydney girl Chloe, 10, to "visit" her first cotton farm.

"I learnt about cotton. Everything was moving, you could see everything in the camera," she said.

"It's about having fun and learning about how our food and clothes are made."

Duncan Kendall, who heads up education at the Royal Agricultural Society, said even those who worked in agriculture were learning a thing or two.

"One thing I've really observed is how long people are staying in this pavilion," the former teacher told AAP.

"It's engaging and it's immersive, and that is the main priority."

Organisers hope to plant the seed in some children to embark on a future career in agriculture, sending them home with an "ag in a box" education pack including a beeswax creation kit and cheese judging wheel.

"We want the show to be fun, we want it to be enjoyable, but also we're really wanting to engage students in regards to the appreciation of agriculture," Mr Kendall said.

Part of the fun was encouraging kids to soil their undies in the name of science, with one display featuring a clothes line pegged with undergarments in various states of decay.

The smalls were buried by scientists to test the microbial content of soil - the more active the microbes, the more of the cotton clothing they would eat.

University of New England soil scientist Ivanah Oliver said while the undies put some children off at first, they soon got involved.

"They're really engaged and they actually love learning about what we're doing," Dr Oliver said.

Last stop was the discovery bus, where another interactive display took passengers to carrot and avocado fields.

Participants again donned virtual reality goggles and were guided from paddock to plate.

The tour started on the factory floor where fruit and vegetables were packed, including those with an irregular shape.

"I learnt that it doesn't matter what they look like, they all taste the same," said eight-year-old Magnus.

Parents too learnt something new.

"I had no idea how they got the carrots out of the ground, I found that very interesting watching them sort and wash them, which was great," Sydney mother-of-two Kristie said.

"I also didn't know it took four years before the avocados got a crop."

Sydney's Royal Easter Show runs until April 17.