Abstract:
Despite growing opportunities for college graduates in the agricultural sciences, many high school and college students are not pursuing careers in the agriculture industry. Youth equate agriculture with farming, which is perceived as boring, stressful, and hard physical labor with low pay. This study was aimed at broadening youths' perspective of agriculture, and ultimately attracting them to pursue careers in the food and agricultural sciences. A Kindergarten to 12 agriculture curriculum was developed and integrated into the curriculum of two established summer programs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The 2006-2008 AgriScience Education Summer Program exposed underrepresented youth, ages 8 to 18, to careers and opportunities in the food and agriculture industry through experiential learning. Three hundred, 100, and 145 youth, respectively, learned new knowledge about the food and agricultural sciences. Pre and posttest results indicated that the agriculture curriculum increased participants' knowledge of agriculturally related careers and the science applications incorporated in the study of agriculture. The youth gained a better appreciation of agriculture and how it affects their daily lives. Some program participants also indicated that they acquired an interest in pursuing careers in the agriculture industry.
Keywords:
under-represented youth, perspectives, experiential learning
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