Articles
Sustainable agriculture curriculum
CIAS has created an invaluable resource for high school teachers. Toward a Sustainable Agriculture is a free curriculum that addresses the social, environmental and economic impacts of agriculture. The curriculum provides a critical analysis of agricultural and food systems and helps students understand new concepts through hands-on examples. The curruculum includes five modules, designed to be incorporated into existing classes:
- Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture
- Corn, Beans, and Burgers: Field Crops and Sustainable Agriculture
- Fur, Feathers, and Fins: Animals in Sustainable Agriculture
- Apples, Beets, and Zinnias: Sustainable Horticulture (under construction)
- A Growing Market: Organic Agriculture (under construction)
This curriculum grew out of sustainable agriculture curriculum materials developed in 1989 and 1990 with the Wisconsin Rural Development Center and the Department of Public Instruction. This original guide and its supplement continue to be recognized as valuable resources for teachers who want to learn more about sustainable agriculture and teach their students key concepts, thinking skills, and hands-on skills. For more information about curriculum development at CIAS contact Diane Mayerfeld.