Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Last week, on March 22, the nation celebrated National Ag Day – a day to recognize and celebrate the agriculture industry and its role in our world. The theme – Agriculture: Growing a Climate for Tomorrow – calls to mind a couple ways to read the word “climate” that are both important in agricultural education.
We often think of “climate” as “environmental conditions.” In this context, it is important for agriculturists to consider the role they have in changing the climate. The world’s population is expected to grow to 10 billion by 2050. Agriculturists are working tirelessly to become more efficient at producing, processing, marketing, and transporting food, fiber, and fuel on the same amount of land or, in some cases, less. Sustainability has to be at the forefront.
Agricultural education means asking students to look at how agriculture impacts our climate . It means asking them how we can find more sustainable practices in soil, nutrient, and water health and usage; minimizing emissions; and efficient use of natural resources and chemical products. In the classroom, we might have them evaluate nutrient demands on specific crops; model runoff and determine mitigation strategies; determine water conditions and modify them to meet the demands of different species; and so much more.
But “climate” might also refer to prevailing standards or attitudes at a given time. High quality agricultural education addresses this type of climate as well. Through a combination of collaborative work, hands-on projects, and activities inside and outside of the classroom, agriculture students learn about the employment, social, and leadership skills necessary to be positive influences in the future–the soft skills needed to develop as a human being.
Agricultural education’s “Three Component Model” encourages a blend of their classroom work, their hands-on learning project called a Supervised Agricultural Experience, and their leadership involvement in the National FFA Organization. When these three pieces come together, students not only learn how to improve the world’s physical climate conditions, but also their personal impact on the human condition.
As the new Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Education Consultant and State FFA Advisor here at the Department of Public Instruction, I am excited to look for ways to support agricultural educators in providing these types of learning opportunities. As we begin work on a State Agriculture Career Pathway, I hope we continue to empower students to “grow a climate for tomorrow” both as agriculturists and as human beings–to be successful contributors in their future agriculture careers, as future consumers, and most importantly as future leaders in our communities.
Subscriber submission: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Education Consultant Sally Ladsten