Children need education about agriculture and conservation

Each year the Alaska State Fair, inspired by agricultural tradition, opens my eyes anew to the work needed to make our public agriculturally literate.

Everyone understands the advantages of a literate society — one that can read and write. So what’s agricultural literacy? It’s having a basic understanding of the sources of your food, fabric and flowers.

What do the words “agriculture” and “conservation” mean to you? What do they mean to the average 10-year-old? Should they mean anything?

Thanks to the support of MTA, the Alaska State Fair once again offered the “Science & You” program to some 850 fourth- and fifth-grade students from around the Mat-Su Borough School District. They came to the fair prior to the gates opening each day to learn about aspects of science, including agriculture and natural resources.

As the groups of 20 to 45 students trooped into the big barn at the fair each day, staff from Palmer and Wasilla Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service helped me, representing Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom and the Alaska Association of Conservation Districts, tell students a little about agriculture and conservation of our natural resources. Unfortunately, we often found out that students were not well-versed in the words “agriculture” or “conservation.”

Most of these bright, young students were quick to grasp the significance of the two words. We have every hope the 40 minutes we spent with each group fixed into the students’ minds the importance of both in their present and their future. But it is unsettling to think that there were many children in the groups who declared at first that agriculture — farming — had no importance in their lives. For others, “conservation” was just a word bandied about with “tree hugger.”

When I mentioned “mining” in reference to one activity, a young girl piped up: “Mining is bad.” In fewer than 30 seconds, I tried to explain that while some mining projects are ill advised, mining is not inherently bad. It gives us the minerals we use in our daily lives. I could only hope that her teacher, and all of the teachers, took the discussions we started at the fair and continued them so the students can understand their role as stewards of our natural resources.

It wasn’t only these students who led me to the conclusion that we are failing to provide some necessary building blocks to our youth — our future decision-makers. Again this year, as AACD’s colorful prize wheel drew visitors to our booth in the barn, we learned that people of all ages stumbled over the categories of “agriculture” and “conservation.” In a state blessed with some amazing agriculture and where conservation should be ingrained in every lexicon, the words drew blank stares and embarrassed stammers.

As Alaskans make decisions about the future of the state’s agriculture and natural resources, nothing is more important than an informed public. If the public doesn’t understand the value of local farms for fresh food and food security, will it care if processing facilities are closed and farmland is gobbled up by developers? If we don’t understand how responsible use of our natural resources is the only way we can protect and develop the state, how can we make good decisions when we are asked to vote on issues such as land-use regulations?

If you have contact with a child of any age, ask the child to tell you what agriculture and conservation mean. Knowing could help shape a promising future for Alaska.

Victoria Naegele, akaitc@alaskafb.org, is the director of Alaska Agriculture in the Classroom. Her agricultural roots are planted in her family farm in southcentral Michigan. Visit the Alaska AITC Web site at www.agclassroom.org/ak for more information on agricultural literacy.