Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the activity highly valuable, and two of the older students are now seriously considering
teaching careers. Thus, we can tap into the people and resources of the local community to
further the learning agenda, and can also find ways for students to contribute to the commu-
nity while learning with the experience.
Education and learning with farmers as teachers and as clients
Elevating the status of farmers, organic or conventional, to that of teachers can help to recog-
nise and reward their relevant experience, and the most articulate farmers can help design and
guide a learning environment in agriculture. While they are interacting with students while
being instructors, farmers can serve as sounding boards for questions and proposed solutions
to improving the present situation as students formulate ideas and look for potential implica-
tions. Often a thoughtful farmer will be able to ask such questions as, 'Have you thought about
this angle? What will be the costs and benefits of this change? What will happen if conditions
change? Do you think that this would help me meet my long-term goals for the farm?' Putting
farmers in this role helps to validate their experience, and give them more status in the eyes of
the student who will soon have these same farmers as clients or cooperators (see
Chapter 17
).
Teachers' contact with the world of agriculture
As recently as 25 years ago, most university and college instructors in agriculture had prior
practical experience in owning or managing farms. They were comfortable with the context
and the language, and often continued to control some land from their own families and work
their way through the same decisions each year that were facing their farmer clients. This situ-
ation has changed drastically, as most newly hired professors in agriculture come from the city
with little or no personal practical experience in farming, and today many have not lived in the
rural landscape or small community. Such a change can make a tremendous difference in the
way that instructors approach their classes and how they make use of outside resource persons
to support their classes or organise study tours for their students. When they are not confident,
themselves, in confronting the stakeholders, it is difficult or impossible to pass such confi-
dence on to students. Some type of experience is needed to provide at least a f lavour of the
farm and rural community life to teachers, realising that people are busy and have many other
obligations on their time.
Organisation of uniersities for effectie agriculture education
With much of the relevant information residing outside the library and the immediate campus
community, it is valuable to think of how we can design a learning landscape and the incen-
tives for students to seek the most relevant information. Farmers in the classroom, short field
tours to farms or summer travel courses such as the one described above in relation to the Agr-
oecosystems analysis course (AGRO 436/836) can all provide vehicles for putting students in
touch with reality. The proposed future learning university (see Figure 16.2) provides ideas
about how one could structure the physical plan and the multiplicity of activities that take
place there and in the landscape and community to meet the broad and practical and educa-
tional goals.
Beyond farming systems and towards food systems
The goal of organic farming was always compatible with those of sustainable development.
When organic farming was conceived as a concept and a practice, in the 1920s-1930s, our socie-
ties were still dominated by rural life and most people lived close to most of their food sources.
The debate in agriculture at that time was therefore focused on farming practices, which were
rapidly changing through the increasing use of mineral fertiliser and pesticides (Figure 16.3A).
