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Agriculture is making a move into urban classrooms |
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By JULIET BRISKIN | Central Texas Edition |
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May 30,2002 -- Educating urban populations about the value of bringing agriculture into their communities was one of the topics discussed during the National Urban Agriculture Symposium in Dallas May 19--22, 2002. The participants came from all over the United States to share ideas and identify critical issues in urban agriculture. In addition, breakout sessions were held where participants brainstormed on how to approach the future and develop strategies for education and policy for building rural-urban connections. Jim Brenner from the University of California-Davis provided an update following one of the breakout sessions in which participants worked to develop visions for the future of urban agriculture. "One of the things that came up in this session was the concept that the future will bring safe sustainable communities," stated Brenner. "Another vision for the future was the desire to have a healthy integration between urban and rural communities and that there would be an awareness of the connection between the environment and human health, well-being and overall quality of life." The future of urban agriculture depends greatly upon urban planning that recognizes social, physical and mental needs of residents, stated Brenner. It will also be important to engage residents in the planning process. "Other pieces of the vision included planning and decision making that would be based on sound science and research," said Brenner. "And that there would be a comprehensive educational system that helps build recognition of the benefits, impact and value of urban agriculture." During one of the general sessions Thomas Scott, principal of the Walter Biddle Saul High School for Agricultural Sciences in Philadelphia, Pa., spoke to participants about his school. Saul high school is the largest agricultural high school in the U.S., is a public school and is part of the Philadelphia school district. It serves about 640 students in grades 9--12 and is set on 200 acres. "Everybody takes agriculture every year in addition to regular academic courses," explained Scott. "Some of the courses include dairy and swine, equine science, beef and sheep and small animal technology." The school also has a horticulture program and the landscape design team has taken first place three times in the past five years at the state FFA contest. In addition, Saul has the largest FFA membership of any high school in the U.S.
The campus also has a retail florist shop on site where students gain real-life experience in horticulture retail. "The other courses are somewhat traditional but they are very important," explained Scott. "The horticulture mechanics and agricultural construction classes are the types of courses that really define the students time at Saul." Scott comes from a math and science background, but feels that the agricultural education provided for the students is extremely exciting. "I have never had a kid that I taught in mathematics come back to me after graduation and say boy I loved that proof you taught me in the tenth grade," stated Scott. "But they do come back to the ag teachers to tell them what a difference this education made in their life." According to Scott the eleventh and twelfth grade students spend about two and a half hours a day for roughly 185 days in agriculture based courses. "Those kids are practically with their ag teachers more than with their parents," he said. "Students travel on average an hour to 90 minutes each way on public transportation to get to Saul and we have a daily attendance average of 95 percent. Right now I believe the average daily high school attendance in Philadelphia is around 70 to 75 percent." Other aspects of the educational program at Saul include service learning projects, summer programs and internships. "Education is the key," he said. "To state the obvious, it is much easier to get a kid excited about something than an adult." For more information on Saul High School visit www.philsch.k12.pa.us/schools/saul/. Rachel Mabie Surls, Los Angeles County Extension director, addressed the general session on the impact of urban school gardens and community gardens. "I spent about seven years organizing school and community gardens," she explained. "I have seen policy changes make tremendous differences in the success of these movements." Surls stated that it has been her experience that teachers love these programs. "The teachers are convinced that the hands on learning provided in the gardens help reinforce curriculum," she said. In 1995, Elaine Easton, the state superintendent of public instruction for California announced the California garden-in-every-school initiative. "This was mind blowing for me!" said Surls. "This initiative legitimized and supported the use of gardens in schools." Surls pointed out to the group that during the civil unrest in L.A. in 1992 not one of the community gardens were destroyed. "Despite the destruction in the communities, the gardens went untouched because the residents love them," she explained. Dr. Frank Gilstrap, entomologist with the Texas Cooperative Extension service, spoke about creating an urban agenda for traditionally agriculturally based agencies. "Ag experiment stations must work to allocate resources to meet the needs of both rural and urban communities," stated Gilstrap. "Texas is urban, but is also very rural; has limited water that is owned by agriculture, but is needed by cities. I believe Texas reflects the kind of struggle that many states experience as they try to adjust from exclusive service to rural agriculture to service that addresses both rural and urban issues." |
