Agricultural Literacy Education from STEM to Plate.

A majority of kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) students do not have first-hand experience with agriculture. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, less than 2% of U.S. citizens are involved in production agriculture and most K-12 students are three or more generations removed from a farm. These statistics have led to a low-level of agricultural literacy. Increasing agricultural literacy is important so that students, who will grow to adults, can make informed choices on agricultural-related issues such as genetically-modified organisms, food safety, food security, renewable energy and environmental quality. The Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC) Organization has taken a three pronged approach to connect students with agriculture and agronomy. 1) Resource Development-MAITC offers free educational materials that assist teachers in embedding agriculture in their curricula. All of these resources are aligned with Minnesota’s K-12 Academic Standards. Over 40,000 students in over 700 schools utilize these resources. 2) Teacher Professional Development-MAITC offers workshops for teachers to gain experience with the hands-on activities featured in our educational resources. These workshops have inspired educators at all K-12 levels by providing authentic agricultural examples as a context for student learning in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), as well as social studies, language arts and health/nutrition. 3) MAITC Teacher Champions -MAITC piloted a Teacher Champion program at three elementary schools during the 2014-2015 school year. The goal of this program was for selected teachers to engage their colleagues to create school wide integration of agriculture. In an end of the year survey, 92% of teachers “Agreed” or “Strongly Agree” that including “MAITC hands-on activities and curriculum have helped improve my students’ understanding of the STEM concepts.” The combined impact of these three elements will continue to build agricultural literacy while helping students achieve academic standards in STEM areas.