Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

30 minutes

Part A: Class braintrust

30 minutes

Part B: An introduction to sustainable agriculture

30 minutes

Part C: Australian agriculture study

10 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions:

Students will...

gain a deeper understanding of ‘sustainable agriculture’ including holistic approaches such as organic agriculture and permaculture
examine the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to understand the importance of a global approach to sustainable food production and food security
investigate examples of sustainable farms to identify key features of sustainable food production.

Success criteria:

Students can...

identify common features of sustainable agriculture
explain the link between SDGs, sustainable agriculture and food security
apply their learning to selected farm studies.

Part A: Class braintrust

Step 1

Explain to the class that they will be paying attention to how the food we eat every day is produced and thinking about how we can support more sustainable farming practices. To get an idea of what a sustainable farm might look like, show the following clip:

Why Organic, Sustainable Farming Matters | Portrait of a Farmer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD5jnxhne7o)

Step 2

Now, invite students to complete the following sentences on the Student Worksheet. Explain that it is ok not to know the answers to these questions right now – this is a chance to see how much everyone already knows about sustainable agriculture. Encourage students to try their best to finish the sentences but if they do not know an answer it is fine to leave it blank at this stage:

Sustainability means ……………. Suggested answer – meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Environmental sustainability means ……………. Suggested answer – where the demands placed on the environment can be met without reducing its capacity to allow all people to live well, now and in the future.
Economic sustainability means ……………. Suggested answer – where a business's profits and responsibilities are balanced so it can continue to over the long-term.
Social sustainability means ……………. Suggested answer – maintaining a healthy community where the needs of each member are met equitably.
An example of a farmer doing something to be environmentally sustainable would be ……………. Suggested answers – creating bee hotels for native insects, planting a diverse range of crops, adding native plants to areas of their farms, reducing or eliminating pesticide use.
An example of a farm that is economically sustainable would be ……………. Suggested answers – the farm makes a regular profit, pays employees fair wages or trades or sells surplus food.
An example of a farm that is socially sustainable would be ……………. Suggested answers – providing families and communities with healthy, nutritious food.

Step 3

Now, invite students to review their answers on the Student Worksheet by listing (using the question numbers 1–7) the answers they feel comfortable with and the ones they the need clarification on:

I know about question/s...
I could still learn more about question/s...

Step 4

Invite students to get up out of their chairs with their Student Worksheet and a pen, and begin sharing the answers that they feel confident about with people who would like to know more about that question.

Draw the class together and ask for volunteers to share their answers. If there is a question that the whole class is unaware of, be sure to note this so that you can check that students feel confident about defining it at the end of the class, before sharing the suggested answer above.

Part B: An introduction to sustainable agriculture

Step 1

Provide each student with a copy of the Sustainable Agriculture Factsheet and ask them to read the 'The Need for Sustainable Agriculture' section. Explain the following points to focus the learning in this activity:

The term sustainable agriculture applies to a number of practices that form a system of food production that aims to achieve economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Many people around the world are using farming methods to conserve and rehabilitate their land while increasing farm productivity and economic viability. The SDGs target these types of changes in developing countries to improve people’s livelihoods and wellbeing.

Note: Consider drawing students' attention to the common features across the Sustainable Agriculture Factsheet, such as soil health. Healthy soils are key to sustainable agriculture. Highlighting these features with students can help make clear the interconnectedness of these feature of agriculture.

Step 2

Invite students to form groups of 3–4 and choose a place to sit together. Explain that this activity involves individual and group tasks. Use a timer for this activity to separate individual and group tasks.

Hand out the Sustainable Agriculture Factsheet and invite students to individually read the information under each of the headings, one at a time in the order they appear. Explain that their task is to identify and highlight or underline practices that illustrate economic, social and environmental sustainability. Ask students to circle any words they do not know the meaning of or find confusing, e.g. some students may not know the terms arable or tillage. Explain that student will have three minutes to read each section followed by a group sharing session.

Start the first three-minute session, focusing on the 'What is Sustainable Agriculture?' section of the factsheet. When the timer rings encourage students to discuss their responses within their group. Invite students to ask for clarification or explanation of any terms they have circled. Encourage students to annotate the sheet with the additional information they sought.

Step 3

Invite students to complete the same process for the remaining sections on the resource sheet, i.e. individually timed reading followed by a group collaboration and clarification.

When this task is completed, ask students to work individually and list five common features of sustainable agriculture on their Student Worksheets. When finished, they may then share their lists with their group. Ask students, one group at a time, to add one feature to an open list on the class board explaining that if a feature is already listed they will need to choose a different one. Complete this process until all groups can see the features they had identified on the class list. Invite students to add additional features to the list on their individual worksheets in the space provided.

Show students selected video clips from the list below (in Part C) that reinforce their learning about sustainable agriculture.

Part C: Australian agriculture study

To conclude this lesson, students will be researching a sustainable producer/farm and creating a social media post (or text for another school communication medium that you have organised) that highlights a sustainable producer.

Step 1

Highlight to students that they have learned about a range of farming methods that could create a more sustainable food future. Ask students why they think these methods are not the current norm in agriculture? Through your discussion make sure that students understand that converting from traditional to contemporary agriculture is a big risk for farmers. Farmers need to be assured that there is a market for their sustainable produce before they can invest in changing their businesses. Consumers can make a big difference in this space. Not that long ago, caged eggs dominated supermarket shelves however consumers made this is a visible issue. They raised awareness of the benefits of free range eggs and now it is far more common. In this activity, students will be working to raise community awareness around the work of a local sustainable farmer.

Extension: You may also wish to show students the following clip about the story of a farmer who transitioned to more sustainable practices because of consumer demand:

One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts (https://vimeo.com/170413226)

Alternatively, an article about this farmer can be found here, One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts - an Evolution from Industrial to Regenerative Farming

Step 2

Either direct students to the list of links in the Student Worksheet to choose from or encourage them to research a local sustainable producer of their own choosing. The following food maps may be a good starting point if students are to do independent research, Open Food Network (https://openfoodnetwork.org.au/map) and Target 100 - Farmer Stories (https://www.target100.com.au/Farmer-stories).

Mulloon Creek Natural Farms (NSW)
https://www.mcnf.com.au/
Mulloon Institute (operates on Mulloon Farm)
Restorative agriculture – landscape rehydration (Video 1)
https://themullooninstitute.org/videos/
Purple Pear Farm (NSW)
https://www.purplepearfarm.com.au/farm-practices
Purple Pear Biodynamic permaculture Farm Tour
https://youtu.be/f8i_2VRNwrg
Limestone Permaculture Farm (NSW)
https://www.limestonepermaculture.com
Limestone Permaculture Farm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSNc13cmknE
Coodardie Brahmans (NT)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?timecontinue=19&v=dcHau472eE8 and https://www.coodardie.com.au/
Background 'Greener Horizons'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBaLLJ-UH8k
Farm study: Bencubbin (WA)
https://youtu.be/xvL56SBmlww
Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary (Vic)
https://spikenardfarm.org/the-honeybee/

Invite students to work in their groups to examine one farm of their choosing (either from their independent research or from the list below). Advise students that their challenge is to research one of the farms, identifying the sustainability features from the Sustainable Farming Factsheet used. Then groups are to compose a post about this farm.

Extension – Challenge students to focus their research on a farm that is addressing a specific environmental issue, such as soil health or food waste on farms. The following article can be used as a working example of farming for improved soil health, against all odds: turning sand into profit.

If you have a local farmer’s market, their website is a great place to start investigating local producers that may be working in more sustainable methods.

Step 3

Inform students of the limitations and advantages of the communication medium that they will be using, e.g. word limitation on Twitter and ability to add photos and embed links in Facebook. Then explain that the aim of students' posts will be to inform people of the particular form of sustainable farming they have investigated and to persuade people to seek out these or other farmers doing similar work.

Note: If there is a limitation on the number of posts you can make for your class, consider organising a weekly or fortnightly rollout of students' work.

Step 4

Hold a class sharing session where each group can read their posts.

Reflection

Invite students to reflect on questions 1–7 from Part A of the lesson and answer the following in the Student Worksheet:

Which questions were you unclear on at the start of the lesson that you now feel confident about?
Which questions do you still feel you need more information about, and how can you work toward addressing this?

Differentiated learning

Extension – If you chose to post on a social media account that allows comments, invite students to monitor the account over the next few weeks. When a member of the community replies, raise this with the class, inviting them to help determine if they think the post is effectively engaging with the community on the topic of sustainable agriculture.

Provisions for Learning Support – the following link can be provided in Part C, for classes who require additional support in their literacy skills:

Organic Schools - For Gardeners (https://organicschools.au/gardeners/)

Sustainable Agriculture

Go to

Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

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