Do you know where your food comes from? When people think about their own connection to agriculture - if they think about it at all - this is usually what comes to mind. Food, nutrition, health, hunger are all incredibly important aspects of agriculture, but they’re far from the whole picture. We feel that it is increasingly important for everyone to understand their own connections to agriculture, and just how prevalent it is in everyday life.
The American Farm Bureau Foundation has suggested that there are seven pillars of Agricultural Literacy. These are:
The relationship between agriculture and the environment.
The relationship between agriculture and food, fibre and energy.
The relationship between agriculture and animals.
The relationship between agriculture and lifestyle.
The relationship between agriculture and technology.
The relationship between agriculture and the economy.
From these, there are four levels of expectations for learning outcomes tied to the pillars. At the early childhood to grade three level, expectations are based on awareness. From grades four to eight, expectations are based on discovery. From grade nine to twelve, expectations are based on knowledge-building. At the early adult to adult level, expectations are based on analysis. Anyone can increase their own understanding of the intersection of agriculture and society; no one is too old to learn.
So it’s more than where food comes from, it’s about knowing just how closely agriculture is tied to nearly every part of our lives.
It is based in part on this framework, which can be aligned to Alberta’s educational standards, that NHCS is able to teach all grades and subjects through the lens of agriculture, stewardship and innovation.
To learn more about the Pillars, you can visit https://www.agfoundation.org/pillars. Keep in mind that this is an American resource, and not all aspects, such as industry partners or educational coordinators, will apply.
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