Agriculture deserves focus in classroom

Agricultural literacy should be an easy sell; everyone eats. Unfortunately, a diminishing percent of the population makes the connection between what is on their plates and the farms and fields of America and the world.

According to U.S Census information, less than 2 percent of Americans live on a farm. That’s down from 20 percent in the 1930s and 64 percent in 1850. A recent Census Bureau survey indicates the total U.S. farm population is the lowest it has been since before the Civil War.

While many other segments of American life have also undergone marked changes in the last 150 years, there’s something significant about a population losing touch with the sources of its food and fabric.

And ours has.

That’s why Alaska will celebrate is first official Alaska Agriculture Day on May 6. Alaska Ag in the Classroom (Alaska AITC) has been celebrating Alaska Ag Day since 2005, but this will be the first since Gov. Sarah Palin signed legislation making the first Tuesday in May Alaska Agriculture Day.

Last year, Alaska AITC launched its first Alaska Ag Day Literacy Project. Volunteer readers took books into classrooms around the state and read to students about agriculture. Others did activities with students so they’d gain an appreciation of the sources of their food. The effort will be repeated again on May 6.

I’ve been trying to grow agricultural literacy in Alaska for nearly 10 years, and it has grown by leaps and bounds. But it will grow even faster when educational leaders join those of us in agriculture to realize this is a real need. By in large, educators have done a great job in raising our students’ awareness of environmental and cultural issues. But even in improving education in those areas, it has been done ignoring the roles agriculture plays in each. Agriculture plays a vital role in our history and in nutrition, but students continue to learn about those facets of life without an agricultural component.

In many states, standards for science include specific criteria for students’ knowledge about agriculture, food processing, soil and related resources at each grade. Other subject areas also have agricultural components integrated in the standards. In Alaska, the state’s approved high school Alaska history component leaves out agriculture entirely.

I am not talking about a vocational agricultural program, which the Mat-Su Borough School District does have, housed at Palmer High. That’s an important option for students, but only reaches a small number each year. Agricultural literacy isn’t about teaching kids to be farmers; it’s about teaching kids the sources of their food, fabric and flowers.

It’s time for Alaska to look at agriculture as an area of study as important as any other. When students learn about nutrition, they should learn about the farmers who grows their food. When they learn about history, they should know the vital role agriculture plays in every civilization, with Alaska being no exception. When students study our state’s geography, the crops grown in various regions should be studied, just as they are for far away countries. When students study chemistry, they should understand the remarkable — and unlikely — products made from agricultural products, like soybeans and corn.

Agriculture isn’t just important, it’s essential. As one colleague in Texas recently put it, without agriculture you’d likely be hungry, naked and homeless. On top of that, you’d likely be riding a bike. At best, you’d be hungry and have a very limited wardrobe. Those reasons should be enough to spur everyone to embrace agricultural literacy.

If you’d like more information on Alaska AITC or an opportunity to become involved in our activities, visit www.agclassroom.org/ak or e-mail me.

Victoria Naegele is the director of Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom. She and her goat, Jehoshaphat, live near Palmer. She can be contacted at akaitc@alaskafb.org.