Education programs are needed to increase awareness and implementation of sustainable agriculture goals and practices. Hands-on experiences, such as those offered by residential environmental and agricultural education programs, are an excellent way to spread the word about sustainable agriculture. A participatory planning process was used to determine the feasibility of providing this sort of program at the Iowa 4-H Center. An advisory group reviewed existing programs, evaluated target audience survey results, and began to develop a program plan

Kurth, Joe

Levings, Judith M.

Education programs are needed to increase awareness and implementation of sustainable agriculture goals and practices. Hands-on experiences, such as those offered by residential environmental and agricultural education programs, are an excellent way to spread the word about sustainable agriculture. A participatory planning process was used to determine the feasibility of providing this sort of program at the Iowa 4-H Center. An advisory group reviewed existing programs, evaluated target audience survey results, and began to develop a program plan.</p

Levings, Judith

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

96-30 COMPETITIVE GRANT Leopold Center REPORT LEOPOLD CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Planning for a residential agricultural and environmental education program at the Iowa 4-H Education and Natural Resources Center Principal Investigator: Abstract: Education programs are needed to increase awareness and implementation of sustainable Joe Kurth agriculture goals and practices. Hands-on experiences, such as those offered by residential environmen-Director, Youth and tal and agricultural education programs, are an excellent way to spread the word about sustainable 4-H agriculture. A participatory planning process was used to determine the feasibility of providing this sort ISU Extension of program at the Iowa 4-H Center. An advisory group reviewed existing programs, evaluated target audience survey results, and began to develop a program plan. Co-investigator: Judy Levings Director, Iowa 4-H Education and Natural Resources Background "Agricultural literacy" is a concept developed by a National Research Council (NRC) com­prairies. Activity, meeting, and overnight facilities are available for more than 400 people. Center mittee in 1988. According to the NRC, agricul- The Iowa 4-H Center has offered sustainable Budget: $4,000 for one year tural literacy implies "an understanding of the food and fiber system, including the history and current economic, social, and environ­mental significance to all Americans." Provid­ing educational opportunities to increase knowl­edge about the potential of sustainable agricul­ture is one way of encouraging agricultural literacy. agriculture demonstrations on topics such as vegetative filter strips, pond and wetland man­agement, wildlife food plots, woodland and prairie management, ridge-tillage, and a large teaching garden. Some sustainable agricul­ture programming has been offered, notably "Sustainable Agriculture and Wildlife—Piec-ing Together a Habitat Puzzle" which was developed specifically for the Center's use. Residential environmental education programs They have also held agricultural field days in can be particularly beneficial in increasing 1989, 1992, and 1996. awareness about environmental issues. (A residential program includes at least one over­night stay, along with long-term hands-on ex­periences.) Research findings suggest that resi-dential-type field experiences provided the greatest advances in students' conceptual knowledge of the environment. But the 4-H Center is without a comprehensive residential agricultural and environmental edu­cation program plan. Currently, the Center staff lacks the time to develop, implement, and maintain a new program area. Involving other organizations in the development stage would The Iowa 4-H Education and Natural Resources speed up the process. Center is a possible site to provide Iowans with Objectives for the project were these: hands-on experiences in applying sustainability 1) Bring together a group of interested indi­principles. (This is Iowa's only agricultural viduals and organizations who will work education center with residential facilities.) cooperatively as an advisory group to de-The Center, a 1,100-acre residential facility velop a plan for an education and demon-located 20 miles southwest of Ames, is oper­ stration program within which each orga­ated by Iowa State University Extension to nization will participate. Youth and 4-H. It includes 130 acres of row 2) Evaluate existing sustainable agriculture crops, with the remaining acres comprised of residential demonstration and education pasture land, mixed cropland and lowland for- programs for youth and family audiences. est, streams, ponds, wetlands, and restored Volume 6 (1997) 8 3) Research target audiences who are inter­ested and able to participate in residential and sustainable agriculture programs. Approach and methods In the beginning phase, a project associate was hired and research funds were allocated. The exploratory phase called for evaluation of ex­isting agricultural and environmental educa­tion programs and curricula for youth and families. The review, conducted in 1995 and 1996, included both quantitative and qualita­tive research data gathered through literature reviews, on-site observations and participa­tory visits, and personal and phone interviews. Also during the exploratory phase, project leaders brought together representatives from agricultural and environmental groups tradi­tionally viewed as being at odds on land use issues. Group members were chosen on the basis of their involvement in agriculture, their interest in education, and their demonstrated ability to work well with others. These indi­viduals formed an advisory group to develop a plan for an educational program within which each organization would participate. At their first meeting, they were introduced to the Iowa 4-H Center facility and resources, discussed common experiences and goals, reviewed evaluations of existing programs, and devel­oped similar ideas for use at the Iowa 4-H Center. Participants on the steering committee came from these organizations: Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa 4-H Educa­tion and Natural Resources Center, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Magic Beanstalk CS A, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa De­partment of Education, Wallace's Farmer, Heartland Area Education Agency, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa De­partment of Agriculture Organic Agriculture Program, and Iowa State University Depart­ments of Animal Ecology, Agronomy, and Agricultural Education. During the planning phase, research was done on target audiences for educational programs. A survey was devised to gauge educator atti­tudes and interest in residential educationalexperiences as well as interest in agriculturaland environmental programming. Surveyswere sent to two sample groups of educators;one was from a statewide list of educatorsreceiving Food, Land, and People educationalmaterials and the other included HeartlandEducation Agency schools, most of which arewithin 50 miles of the Iowa 4-H Center.Survey results were presented to the advisory group at the second meeting. This helped reinforce common goals and shape the direc­tion of the residential program planning at the meeting. Members of the steering committee were asked for a long-term commitment to join a formal advisory board charged with continuing the planning process. Results and discussion The survey sent to educators posed questions in three areas; residential education programs, proposed agricultural and environmental re­search programs at the Iowa 4-H Center, and teacher training workshops. Three hundred surveys were mailed and 51 were returned, a 17 percent response rate. The educators on the Food, Land, and People (FLP) mailing list reported a lower percentage (28 percent) of experience with residential programs, but a higher percentage had received agricultural curriculum materials. The Heartland group was more likely to have residential experience (55 percent), but less likely to have received agricultural curriculum items (19 percent). One hundred percent of the educators who had a residential educational experience in the past considered it positive. The Iowa 4-H Center has offered demon­strations on a wide variety of sustainable agriculture topics. Leopold Center Progress Reports 9 For more information contact Joe Kurth, Youth and 4-H Exten­sion, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011; (515)294-1018. The FLP group was slightly more enthusiastic toward proposed residential education pro­grams focusing on agriculture and the envi­ronment; 91 percent were interested in partici­pating in this kind of program compared with 81 percent of the Heartland list expressing interest. Barriers to residential visits and field trips for school children included lack of funds and transportation. Other negative factors listed were lack of planning time and teacher training, and the difficulty of getting parent chaperones. Seventy percent of those responding would be more willing to bring a class to a residential program if the residential staff provided all of the programming. Eighty-three percent said it would be helpful for the program staff to give an in-school presentation on the program. Respondents agreed that the two most impor­tant factors in choosing a residential program were cost and location. Ninety percent recom­mended a maximum cost per student of $50. If a sponsor provided a portion of the program cost, 93 percent said that they would be more willing to participate. Educators generally ex­pressed more enthusiasm for this type of pro­gram, with some resistance to programs re­quiring more than a one-night stay. Both groups expressed nearly equal approval of the proposed teacher training program where educators would be provided with hands-on experience in agriculture and the environment, familiarized with activities and procedures that are unique to a residential program, and encouraged to plan strategies for their class to visit the Iowa 4-H Center. Seventy-three per­cent of the FLP group and 71 percent of the Heartland group indicated interest in the teacher training workshops. Overall, interest shown in both the residential program centered on agri­culture and the environment and the teacher training workshops was highly positive. The advisory group determined from the cur­riculum research and the results of the educa­tor survey that there was sufficient need and interest to further pursue planning of a residen­tial agricultural and environmental education program at the Iowa 4-H Center. Consensus was that a "soil to product"-based education program would provide the best, most comprehensive content. (An example was a program on "Milk from Grass to Gro­cery.") Because of the constraints on school visits to the Center (mainly cost and transpor­tation) highlighted by the survey results, the advisors suggested that the programmers look to include other target audiences such as non-school youth groups, as well as international visitors, businesses, and other adult groups. Another idea was the creation of a small, working farmstead that would demonstrate sustainable agriculture concepts and tech­niques. Implications In line with the original evaluation criteria, the project associate viewed several sustainable agriculture programs, received over ten cur­ricula sets, and synthesized the results for the advisory group. Results of personal interviews and mail surveys were summarized and dis­tributed to the advisory group. Research re­sults indicated enough interest in this type of program to proceed with further planning and development. Whatever programs ultimately emerge from the process will have the poten­tial to educate thousands of visitors to the Iowa 4-H Center about the connections and interac­tions between agriculture and the environment that are at the center of sustainable agriculture. There was sufficient organizational participa­tion on the advisory group and interest in the planning process to make it successful, even with groups that traditionally have not shared the same goals for the future of agriculture in the state. Thus, the planning process in and of itself made gains toward increasing under­standing and support of sustainable agricul­ture. Ten of the early group members agreed to serve on the official advisory board, ensuring that they will continue to be involved in raising awareness of agricultural sustainability. Their experiences on the board will give them op­portunities to share more information about sustainable agriculture with their parent orga­nizations. Volume 6 (1997) 10 

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Planning for a residential agricultural and environmental education program at the Iowa 4-H Education and Natural Resources Center

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Planning for a residential agricultural and environmental education program at the Iowa 4-H Education and Natural Resources Center

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