Abstract:
Society is facing new agricultural and food supply dilemmas that require visionary leaders and critical thinkers to solve them. Emerging interest in sustainable agriculture education among college-bound students continues to grow, giving institutions of higher education the opportunity to strengthen students’ understanding of the connections among food, agriculture and community systems through interdisciplinary, experiential-based curriculums. This paper provides the backdrop to how the interdisciplinary, experiential-based minor in Civic Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) evolved within the College of Agriculture and Life Science at Virginia Tech. We specifically illustrate how the CAFS task force utilized the theory of civic agriculture and Heifer International’s values-based model as the conceptual underpinnings to support the minor’s academic focus. Funding was obtained incrementally, first through college support and then by a USDA Higher Education Challenge (HEC) grant. Collaborative processes, including an interdisciplinary curriculum task force and teaching teams informed the development and implementation of the curriculum. Pedagogical strategies unique to the CAFS minor include collaborative teaching, fieldwork, learning circles, project-based activities and electronic assessment portfolios. Learning experiences that intertwine research and pedagogy and student accomplishments are illustrated. Interdisciplinary, values-based, and experiential curriculums focused on solving relevant agricultural problems are necessary for advancing post-secondary agricultural education.
Key words:
Civic agriculture, food systems, sustainability, dining services
 11 Clark June13.pdf | [ ] | 433 kB |
