Sustainable Agriculture Education – Building Programs

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Building a Sustainable Agriculture Educational Program at Your Institution

By Allison Jack, Amber Anderson Mba and Rebekah Ritson

Workshop Abstract:

Are you involved in curriculum development around sustainable agriculture at your institution? Do you want to be and don’t know where to start? The Sustainable Agriculture Education Association would like to remind you that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! Students, faculty, staff and community stakeholders all have a role in developing the educational programs that will shape the next generation of agricultural professionals. Come join us to learn about effective existing programs and the resources and networks available for building new programs from the ground up. The SAEA’s resources include an online database of curricula, directories of student farms and official sustainable agriculture educational programs, national participatory conferences for educators and learners and a lively online discussion group.

Workshop Follow Up:

We gave a short presentation on the history of the SAEA and what the organization has to offer, and then facilitated short world cafe and open space sessions using pre-formulated topics with about 50 workshop participants. Participants were a nice mix of faculty, students, growers and sustainable agriculture advocates from all over the country, so it really was like a mini SAEA conference. We received great feedback on the workshop and feel that doing outreach at the major organic farming conferences would be a great recruiting tool for the SAEA. We were able to add around 30 new people to the SAEA google group. So, if you are attending or speaking at organic / sustainable agriculture – focused conferences in the future, consider contacting the organizers about hosting an SAEA workshop. This workshop was organized entirely over Skype by participants who had not all previously met in person, so it is also a great way to network with your fellow SAEA members.

To watch a video presentation go to: https://sustainableaged.org/Conferences/2010SAEAatMOSES/tabid/114/Default.aspx

For more information, or if you’re interested in taking this show on the road, contact Allison Jack.