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Section
C: Sustainability in Action: Case Studies
Guiding Question
- How are sustainable enterprises working in
my state?
Projected
Outcomes
After this section, students will:
- Be aware of real-life and local examples of
sustainability in working farming, food system
and natural resource enterprises.
- Be aware of local practitioners for follow-up
assistance and future projects.
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Background/Lessons
Agro-ecosystems and food systems are complex
concepts that we can understand better when we
look at real examples.
Case
1: Full Circle Farm , Madrid , Iowa
Let's see how one Iowa farm functions as an agro-ecosystem
and as a part of a local food system. How is this
farm contributing to economic, environmental,
and community sustainability?
Full Circle Farm as a Sustainable Agro-ecosystem
The farmers on Full Circle Farm work with nature
by:
- Capturing as much solar energy as possible
while reducing the use of fossil fuels
- Retaining and recycling nutrients on the farm
and using few purchased inputs.
- Preserving and restoring natural habitats
to protect water quality and support wildlife.
Full Circle Farm as a Sustainable Local
Food System
The farmers on Full Circle Farm support their
family and community by:
- Raising value-added products such as forage
fed beef, free-range eggs, and organic vegetables.
- Processing products in partnership with local
lockers and other community businesses.
- Marketing products directly to consumers and
to local stores and restaurants and bringing
excess vegetables back to the farm for composting.
- Providing education and recreation opportunities,
such as canoeing and hunting, to the members
of the community.
Presentation
on Full Circle Farm (MS PowerPoint Presentation)
Presentation
Notes (MS Word document)
Case Study Worksheet
(MS Word document)
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Additional
Case Study Suggestions
Probably no one lives a perfectly economically,
environmentally, and socially sustainable life.
But many people are working to develop agriculture,
food, and natural resource systems that provide
economic, environmental and social benefits.
Arrange to do one of the following:
- visit a local sustainable enterprise
- have a guest speaker address the class
- watch a video. We suggest “Walking
the Journey,” a video of the Dick
and Sharon Thompson farm in Iowa,
“Local Food for Local Communities,”
a video about local food projects in Wisconsin,
or “Young
Agrarians,” a video of youth and sustainable
farming mainly in the southwestern US. Click
on the video titles for ordering information
and suggestions for active learning.
The best exposure to a sustainable farm or food
processing operation is a visit. The next best
thing is to invite a farmer to speak to your class
in the school. To get suggestions of nearby sustainable
enterprises to visit or speakers to invite, contact
your local Extension agent or one of the sustainable
agriculture organizations listed under Additional
Resources.
Make sure your host or speaker knows in advance
what aspects of the operation your class is interested
in. You might want to discuss some possible activities
that would be appropriate for your class to do.
Prepare your class for the visit by reviewing
what you know about the enterprise and having
them figure out what questions they want answered.
The questions should address some aspect of sustainability,
but they may range from questions about values
and quality of life to technical questions about
how specific practices work. Students can record
information about the farm or enterprise on their
case study worksheets.
If you wish, you can assign the class the task
of writing up a case study of the farm or enterprise
based on the field trip. They can use the farm
interview form as the basic template for the case
study. They can also take pictures or videos,
provided they get permission from the host.
Farm
Interview Form (MS Word Document)
Discussion Guide
for the Dick and Sharon Thompson Farm video(MS
Word Document)
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