Agricultural education is a vital part of a person’s education. While most people know where to purchase their food, it is equally important to understand where that food comes from and what goes into producing it. From the moment a seed is planted to the vegetables that end up in the produce bin at the local Publix.
Agricultural education should not be limited to students who live on or near farmland. Every student, regardless of where they live, should have access to agricultural education. A student living in Atlanta should have the same opportunity to learn about agriculture as a student living in Ty-Ty.
But what exactly do students gain from agricultural education? And why is it important to understand where our food comes from?
Georgia Senator Jaha Howard said, “Too many times our association with food is having that ready prepared or already packaged and ready to be purchased.”
Take two seconds to think about all of the things that you buy from the grocery store. How often while shopping do you actually think about where this comes from? Do you think about where on the animal this cut of meat is? What about where this fruit was shipped in from because maybe at this time strawberries are out of season.
This disconnect is especially clear in more urban communities. Places where students may have fewer opportunities to experience agriculture firsthand. Growing up around agriculture provides an understanding that can sometimes be taken for granted. Without that exposure, it can be easy to forget just how much work goes into producing the food that is going to eventually reach our tables.
One way to bring agricultural education into urban areas is by creating more opportunities for students to visit farms and experience agriculture firsthand.
Field trips to farms would allow students to see the process of growing food and better understand all of the hard work that happens before food reaches your local grocery stores.
Senator Howard mentioned that “farmers markets are a great way to connect people… and even in our schools, instead of just serving food, making sure that we are teaching food.”
Farmers’ markets can provide an important connection between consumers and the people who grow their food. These markets can be a great source to be able to talk to people in agriculture about what goes into bringing up the fruits and veggies that you are buying.
Agricultural education is a huge asset for everyone. Understanding how much time, effort and knowledge goes into producing food can change the way students view something they may otherwise spend only a few seconds considering.
Agricultural education is not limited to farms and livestock. It also encompasses greenhouses, food science, and agricultural technology. Bringing these areas into urban schools could give students a broader understanding of agriculture while helping bridge the gap between rural and urban education. Ultimately, students should not have to live on a farm to understand the importance of agriculture.
It is great that we are seeing a rise in people caring about agricultural education. Agriculture is such a huge part of our lives whether you live in a major city or in the smallest community in the deep south; everyone deserves access to this type of education. Go out to a farmers’ market and ask questions, go visit farmlands and learn more about anything and everything agricultural.
The world waits for no one, take action, and keep it green.