Sustainable Agriculture

Solution for These Projections

"In simplest terms, sustainable agriculture is the production of food, fiber, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. This form of agriculture enables us to produce healthful food without compromising future generations' ability to do the same"(Sustainable Table, www.sustainabletable.org/246/sustainable-agriculture-the-basics)

"We can all help put an end to the factory farming system by buying our food from smaller, sustainable farms. These businesses still aim to profit from their labor, but that’s not their only objective. They have essentially a triple bottom line - of social, environmental and financial gain - which means they won’t sacrifice the health of the land or the quality of food simply to make a few dollars more.

When you buy local fruits, vegetables, and meat products, you support your local economy. More of the money you spend goes directly to the farmers themselves because less goes to transportation and middlemen. Buying locally also means burning less fossil fuel to get food from the farm to the table, which benefits the environment.
Shop Sustainable. When you buy sustainably grown and produced foods, you send a message with your food dollars: “I do not support industrial and factory farming!”
You can buy local foods by joining a CSA G group, visiting a farmers market or using the Eat Well Guide to find a farm near you" (Sustainable Table http://www.sustainabletable.org/859/industrial-livestock-production)
Community Gardens

School Programs Involving Sustainable Agriculture

Little Green Thumb

-An indoor gardening program for children and youth. It’s vision is to educate children about the importance of plants and the environment by growing gardens in their learning environments.

-With hands-on learning, kids receive multi-sensory experiences that help them understand their environment. They acquire the knowledge and skill about the plant cycle and will therefore help in the awareness of healthy living.

What the kids do:

Plant and transplant seeds
Care for plants on a daily basis (watering, feeding, pruning, etc.)
Watch plants grow and solve problems if the plant starts to die
Harvest vegetables and herbs
Enjoy the fruits and vegetables they have grown

Teachers are provided proper training for the program to be successful in their classroom

Little Green Thumbs. (n.d.). In Sustainable Food Edmonton. Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.sustainblefoodedmonton.org/new-page

Urban Ag High

-Because of the lack of resources and time for schools to implement Urban Agriculture projects in Edmonton schools, Sustainable Food Edmonton has devised a 2 year project that aims to build a community of practice around urban agriculture projects for junior and senior high schools.

-They deliver workshops to educate teachers and administrators interested in Urban Ag programming

-They want to create a website so educators can share their experiences and resources with each other

Urban Ag High. (n.d.). In Sustainable Food Edmonton. Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.sustainblefoodedmonton.org/urban

Reclaim Space

Growing gardens in schools is becoming a popular thing. While not every school can afford the Tower Gardens, like in the video below, there is plenty of unused space in schools that can be used to grow different crops.

References:

Sustainable Table (2015, November 9). Retrieved from www.sustainabletable.org/246/sustainable-agriculture-the-basics

Sustainable Table (2015, November 9). Retrieved from http://www.sustainabletable.org/859/industrial-livestock-production)