Jun 20, 2024
Recurring topics amongst farmers and producers, agricultural scientists and teachers, registered dietitians and health professionals, economists and consumers are often:
“How do we support an agriculture and food production system that acts from local to worldwide levels?”
“How do we educate consumers about sustainable agricultural practices and healthy food choices?”
“How do we encourage, train, and reward a valued agricultural and food system workforce?”
As agriculturalists and educators, we often bemoan ‘consumers don’t understand agriculture’ or some variant of that. As for many fields, there is wide variation in knowledge and understanding of ‘how it works,’ especially specific details. However, in one recent large-scale survey (1000 respondents per month for the last 24 months) from The University of Illinois 60 to 80% of respondents agreed we have a food system that is affordable (60%), sustainable (60%); profitable (65%); healthy ( 65%), safe (70%); accessible (70%) and tasty (80%). Consumers, for the most part, make food choices based on attributes such as cost, nutritional value, place of origin, and ease of preparation. There is wide variation in opinions, philosophies, and perspectives on nutrition and health, not only among the general public but within healthcare communities as well. As educators or producers, we interpret consumer perceptions about the agricultural system, food, environment, and health from ‘it is terrible’ to ‘we can do better.’ We often repeat some variant of ‘we need more education.’ But many recent surveys have also shown that there are significant and variable populations who in fact cling to their misperceptions when provided with evidence to the contrary. In the face of this challenging and confusing situation, we must continue to provide evidence-based knowledge on our agricultural and food systems. An expansion is needed in the number of people choosing careers within the farm-to-table supply chain to support vibrant, resilient food systems.
As education is the key to an informed citizenry, we need to understand both the key elements of the education system and the perspectives and needs of the students. There is no ‘one approach fits all’ to this philosophy of engaging all students where they are (in their lives, communities, or perspectives), which is what led the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to develop “A Framework for Science Education” almost 20 years ago, followed by the development of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This approach is now in broad use as the foundation of science education in the U.S. and has been in use for more than 15 years.
As with any new curriculum in the sciences, the facts of biology, chemistry, and physics are straightforward. However, the key purpose of the NGSS was to make learning more personal and adaptable for all students. Although they need to know some key facts (e.g., matter and energy are conserved), it is as important that these facts are relevant to all students in every situation, so they want to learn more! The aim is to motivate students to become lifelong learners, equipping them with the skills to comprehend data, evaluate evidence, and prepare for diverse career paths. Ultimately, this approach empowers individuals to make decisions grounded in evidence.
A STEM education program that is fully relevant to a wide variety of students, teachers, families, and locales helps to develop graduates who are careful consumers of scientific information, participate in public discussions on science-related issues, and are equipped for a career of their choice. Such people will make choices that are not only based on evidence but have meaning to them personally and culturally. In this way, our approach has similar connections to agriculture and food systems: to responsibly produce nutrient-rich foods that can support peoples’ nutrition and health needs in an accessible, affordable, equitable, and culturally acceptable manner while also supporting the agricultural and food systems’ freedom to operate and develop a well-trained, valued, and rewarded agricultural workforce.
People make food choices based on a variety of characteristics, including their culture and local environment. Food choices are extremely personal, and a ‘detached,’ purely scientific set of facts and figures is not sufficient to help consumers make food choices based on science. Science needs to be taught and applied in close connection to the personal experiences and situations of each consumer. This is also the case when people choose actions that affect food choices (e.g., local, organic, sustainable, animal welfare, etc.). That recognition that ‘science is a cultural activity’ is at the heart of the Framework for Science Education and the NGSS, which is why we strongly support teaching agricultural and food systems science within the broad science curriculum and not as a separate ‘agricultural science’ endeavor.
One key element of educational success is that we value our teachers and students for who they are, and that we recognize what various populations of teachers and students think about when it comes to food, agriculture, health, and the environment. Meeting them where they are is a simple way to think about it. We need to avoid an attitude of ‘we know best’ or ‘they don’t understand us.’ We need to work together to design the best possible solution for our agriculture and food systems stakeholders, and we must first understand and empathize with the needs, hopes, aspirations, and job expectations of all students in all states. Our goal is not simply to have people buy more animal- and plant-sourced foods resulting from agriculture and sustainable food systems but to have people understand that good agricultural and food systems practices have nourished and will continue to nourish the world. And, importantly, consumers have a strong role to play and can make a positive impact on food production systems. We can meet this goal through a basic understanding of how physics, chemistry, and biology support local, regional, national, and worldwide food production within the varied cultures of the world.
Another issue we must face and help change is the general ‘divide’ between teaching ‘science and STEM education’ and ‘ag education.’ The majority of school districts are in rural areas and small towns, but the majority of people live in cities and suburbs. Thus, our school system reflects society to a large extent because the examples of biology, chemistry, and technology that are taught in larger population centers may not contain an abundance of positive examples of the science of agriculture.This is likely not because of a lack of interest from urban/suburban students and teachers in agriculture and food systems, but rather a byproduct of trying to teach a full curriculum that meets changing needs in a limited time. We know more ‘science’ than we did when I went to school, so how do we teach the basics about food production to all students in a limited amount of time?
We can do this if the key facts about food production, in particular animal agriculture, are taught in the context of basic science and within lessons and curriculum, which are not segregated out as ‘ag science’ or ‘animal science.’ The NGSS framework of content (Disciplinary Core Ideas) is fully embedded in day-to-day life (Cross Cutting Concepts) and taught in a way that gives students experience in gathering and assessing evidence, asking questions, and forming solutions (Science and Engineering Practices). This integration of the DCI, CCC, and SEP is referred to as 3-Dimensional (3-D) and is the core of the NGSS.
When the fundamental biology of genetics, reproduction, nutrition, behavior, and management are taught through examples of agricultural practices and when this instruction is consistently embedded within the framework of sound environmental and farm management practices that produce wholesome, nutritious foods to nourish people, the relevance and realism of these concepts increase significantly for both teachers and students. Over time, this approach extends its impact on society as a whole. This underscores the significance of utilizing an agricultural context as a pertinent and authentic means of illustrating the practical application of biology and other scientific subjects. Further information and details can be accessed by visiting the Phenomenon Bank, the Task Library, and the Media Mayhem NGSS Badged Unit on the Food and Agriculture Center for Science Education website.
Another example is in food and nutrition. The question of ‘what are healthy foods’ is also timeless. Constant but inconsistent media headlines can lead to confusion and often spread untruths. For the most part, nutrition and health education in schools is quite adequate. But too often, ‘health’ is taught as a class separate from basic sciences, and agriculture is often portrayed negatively.
Because science is the pursuit of knowledge, it constantly evolves, which can be confusing even to the experienced professional. We need to teach students how to compare new evidence to the existing body of knowledge and recognize tipping points where a new body of evidence shifts conventional thinking, including avoiding carrying forward unsupported information. For instance, things like animal-based foods are unhealthy or animal ag is destroying the planet.
Rather, the NGSS approach and our approach would be that “evidence continues to show animal-based foods are an important part of a healthy diet and when responsibly produced based on best science-based practices, animal agriculture can contribute to resilient, sustainable food systems.”
There are two main examples of successfully presenting agricultural practices as examples, phenomena, or engagements based on physics, chemistry, biology, environmental, and social sciences: the Ag CTE program and the Ag in the Classroom Program. Data from several years within these programs have demonstrated their success in building student understanding of the scientific basis of agricultural practices. We can expand these efforts and build an even more educated society that will be prepared to make evidence-based decisions about their food and health practices.
The Next Generation Science Standards teach basic and applied concepts and facts (Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) of physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental sciences in real-life contexts, especially those of local relevance to students. In addition, the framework is centered around reaching all students and helping all students see the connections between Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) and Cross Cutting Concepts (CCC). Thus, when appropriate examples are used, students can easily learn that agricultural practices come from scientific experiments, evidence, and proof. They can learn the importance of connecting one field (animal growth) with another (chemical properties that confer nutrition and health benefits in our foods).
Another strength of the NGSS framework that we, as agricultural producers, scientists, sustainable food systems experts, and educators, can use is the fact that the NGSS is intentionally designed to reflect a sequential progression from kindergarten through 12th grade. This structure ensures that students gradually advance from fundamental ideas and concepts to the intricate real-life complexities essential in fields such as science, engineering, business, agriculture, and all facets of daily life. This can strengthen their ability to be lifelong learners and avoid being distracted or misled by the next misleading headline.
One of the many examples available relates to understanding the role of ruminant herbivores in utilizing low-quality forages and land to convert to high-quality, nutritious food for people. The NGGS progression through one part of life sciences, starting in 2nd grade:
There is great interest and activity in teaching, learning, researching, and applying our scientific and technical knowledge to nourish more people with fewer resources. The production and distribution of food, along with all the agricultural, social, cultural, environmental, and economic issues involved, has only received this much interest two or three times (in this author’s experience). Those times include the founding of the USDA and the Land Grant College system, the agricultural support systems during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, and the environmental concerns starting in the 1970s. There is massive positive interest in learning about and improving the food system. Integrating the key elements of agricultural and food systems into the broad STEM education framework may enhance understanding of crucial agricultural practices, with indications of ongoing expansion. We have an opportunity to hasten and increase the understanding of evidence-based, climate-resilient, safe, equitable, accessible, affordable, and culturally acceptable production of nutrient-rich food.
Sources:
Public perceptions of antibiotic use on dairy farms in the United States - ScienceDirect
To hear more about McNamara’s thoughts on alignment and collaboration between these two sides of the classroom, listen to this video podcast.