A Critical Pedagogy of Agriculture for Environmental Educators

• In Event: Poster Session 18
  In Poster Session: Lessons From Outdoor and Garden-Based Learning

Abstract

The topic of agricultural education and literacy has recently grown in popularity with the food movement and stretched beyond its historical boundaries within Land Grant Institutions of Higher Education, the United States Department of Agriculture, State Farm Bureaus, and Agribusiness. Given the ecological impacts of agriculture, we argue that environmental educators need to embrace agricultural education and literacy, and introduce alternative agroecological ideas and methods into their practice. We present a new theoretical framework called A Critical Pedagogy of Agriculture, and a series of problem-posing questions as an introduction to this way of thinking. These questions deal specifically with social and ecological justice issues related to our production of food, fiber, and fuel (all forms of energy).

Authors

• Michael J. Martin, Colorado State University

• Alan Wight, The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences