Embedded Files
Prepared by: Jane Brock, Fall 2024
Agricultural education focuses on teaching the skills and knowledge needed for farming and land management including crop production, animal husbandry, and sustainable practices. Landscapes provide the context in which these practices are applied. Moreover, experiential learning in these environments helps students understand natural systems and fosters environmental stewardship. Through this hands-on learning, students learn soft skills like leadership, confidence, and critical thinking, while simultaneously building practical skills through farming.
Agricultural education focuses on teaching the skills and knowledge needed for farming and land management including crop production, animal husbandry, and sustainable practices. Landscapes provide the context in which these practices are applied. Moreover, experiential learning in these environments helps students understand natural systems and fosters environmental stewardship. Through this hands-on learning, students learn soft skills like leadership, confidence, and critical thinking, while simultaneously building practical skills through farming.
Landscapes provide context for this learning.
Landscapes provide context for this learning.
Community members in Boston planting trees in a local greenspace.
Image Source: https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/urban-forestry-program/
Image Source: https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/urban-forestry-program/
Place Attachment
Place Attachment
Student engagement in agricultural landscapes fosters place attachment, which enhances environmental stewardship and sustainability (Wang, 2023). When students interact with these landscapes, they develop a strong emotional connection to their environment, improving their sense of belonging. This connection is reinforced through hands-on experiences with farming practices. As students form attachment to their environment, they are more likely to invest in their environment by using sustainable behaviors (Wang, 2023).
Atlanta school children learning how to plant crops.
Image by author; taken at Thomasville Heights Elementary School
Image by author; taken at Thomasville Heights Elementary School
Empowerment
Empowerment
Agricultural environments can be used as a tool for empowering students by nurturing a sense of community, self-efficacy, and justice. In a study involving a school and surrounding low-income neighborhood, researchers used Participatory Action Research (PAR) to assess the impact of a school garden on the surrounding community. The researchers note that the community was characterized by its rich history and enduring resilience in the face of race-based oppressive policies that have led to limited access to transportation, healthy food, and stable employment. The study found that garden spaces promote empowerment by engaging students with meaningful, hands-on experiences and encouraging their active participation in decision making. Moreover, this engagement builds confidence and agency. (Saxen, 2024).
Freshly harvested radishes and lettuce to be used in a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
Image by author; taken at Paideia School Farm
Image by author; taken at Paideia School Farm
Health and Nutrition
Health and Nutrition
School gardens can help improve students' appreciation of food by providing experience and education around food systems and nutrition (Holloway, 2023). Experiential learning opportunities in agricultural settings allow children to develop a greater understanding of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Research indicates that school gardening programs not only increase fruit and vegetable consumption but also improve dietary fiber and essential vitamins, contributing to better overall health and well-being. These programs foster an environment that encourages healthier eating habits and a deeper appreciation for fresh, nutritious food (Holloway, 2023).
Sources:
Sources:
Wang, P. C., Huang, J. W., & Lee, D. C. (2023). Participation in Intergenerational Food and Agriculture Education Programs Effectively Promotes Place Attachment. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(5), 4616. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054616
Holloway, T. P., Dalton, L., Hughes, R., Jayasinghe, S., Patterson, K. A. E., Murray, S., Soward, R., Byrne, N. M., Hills, A. P., & Ahuja, K. D. K. (2023). School Gardening and Health and Well-Being of School-Aged Children: A Realist Synthesis. Nutrients, 15(5), 1190. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15051190
Saxen, C. Q., Miura, Y., Wight, A. R., & Fleming, M. A. (2024). School gardens as sites for community, empowerment, and justice: a participatory action research study. Educational Action Research, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2024.2374746
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse