Everywhere we went (except in the national parks), there were signs of agriculture.  People were close to the source of their food, in fact many residents were involved in the production of food for themselves and for market.  We passed one store with a John Deere sign out front, but I never saw a tractor.  What we did see in both expansive fields and small garden plots was people with hand hoes working the red brick soil, planting and nurturing their crops.  They grew cotton, corn (maize), sesame seeds, beans, and a wide variety of other vegetables.  In the yards there were free ranging chickens.  In the fields there were herds of cows and goats, often watched over by very young boys.  

At the open air markets, women sold vegetables and fruit.  Mounds of fresh bananas, mangos and pineapples were carried on the women's heads and then spread out on blankets.  The smell of roasting corn or goat meat wafted through the air.  In a separate rock-walled impoundment, there was an auction where cows and goats were sold, on the hoof.  The animal sounds mingled with the African voices of bidders and auctioneers determining the animals' fate.

We also visited a local school.  Some of the children practiced their English by introducing themselves and telling us what they wanted to be when they grew up.  They mentioned professions such as doctor, pilot and accountant.  The teacher asked if any of them wanted to be farmers.  Not a single hand was raised.  They were going to school to escape that life and do something "meaningful".

I was so struck by that. The contrast was incredible.  I thought about how hard some of us work to teach American children about the importance of agriculture because they are not exposed to it the way past generations were.  Half way across the world, kids who are exposed to it every day are working hard to do something different. Farming is hard work with sparse financial rewards and they want a "better" life.

Herd of Maasai cattle - photo by R. Smith

How can we help young people, wherever they live, appreciate the importance of farmers and the work that they do?  Do farm jobs have to become hip or high tech to be attractive?  Do we need to pay farmers more so they can work hard AND be comfortable financially?  Is it important to think about who will be raising our food in the future if some kids don't know about agriculture and the ones who do are fleeing it?  Yes, yes, and yes.

Of course the answers aren't that easy, and frankly neither are the questions.  But the role of education is exceedingly clear.  Our job as teachers, farmers and agricultural supporters is to continually remind our students that we depend on a complicated network of plants, animals, producers, processers and business people to provide our daily sustenance, and so much more.  Using agriculture as a unifying theme during geography lessons can be a great way to explore different cultures. There is a great deal of diversity among practices and people from different areas.  Yet we are united by some common needs.  We all need food and a healthy environment in which to grow it and people who are willing to do that work.  Thanks to all of you who are spreading that message.

NH Ag in the Classroom

Ruth Smith, Statewide Coordinator

[email protected]

603-224-1934

295 Sheep Davis Road

Concord, NH  03301

Deb Robie, Grafton County Coordinator

 Ruth

Ruth Smith, Statewide Coordinator

NH Agriculture in the Classroom

One of the most interesting things to recognize about flowers is that they all have the same mission, but have developed countless unique ways to get the job done.  The petals of a lady slipper are drastically different from that of a daisy yet bumble bees find them both attractive as sources of food.  It's fun to examine the different parts of flowers with students and explore both divergent and common traits. 

Find pictures of different flowers, explore their pollinators.  Have the students develop questions about the relationship between the two. Explore some of the characteristics of flowers pollinated by butterflies vs. bees or beetles.  See what conclusions the students may come to.  If you are planting a pollinator garden at your school, it is important to explore which plants are used by different pollinators.  Once the garden is active and growing, it's a great place to test the hypotheses and make observations.

The role of the flower parts is worth reviewing.  The showy parts are the petals.  They are often extravagant in color and shape to draw in insect, bird or mammalian pollinators.  Sometimes the petals are large enough to provide a platform for the pollinator to sit on while they are gathering food and collecting pollen.  The structure and color of the petals is usually related to the kind of pollinator that finds them attractive.  For instance cardinal flowers are in the shape of a long thin tube, just right for the beak of a hummingbird. They are also red, which happens to be a color that hummingbirds are particularly attracted to.  The interaction between flowers and pollinators is a rich area of ecological study.

Of course not all flowers are pollinated by animals.  Some rely on the wind (corn) others such as wheat and peas can self pollinate.  The seeds of these plants are genetically identical to their parents because there is no mixing of genes from one plant to another through pollination.

The pollen is formed on the anther, held up by a filament.  Together these parts make up the stamen or the male part of the flower. 

The female part is called the pistil.  On the top the stigma is sticky to catch the pollen. From there it goes down the tube or style into the ovary where the fruit forms and holds the seeds.

Not all flowers have both male and female parts.  When they do the flower is called perfect, complete or bisexual.  When male flowers and female flowers are separate they are called imperfect, incomplete or unisexual.  Only about 10% of flowering plants are unisexual but the list includes common species such as birches and oaks.  In unisexual plants both male and female flowers may grow on the same plant (monoecious), as in the case of squashes, or they may be on different plants as with holly trees (dioecious).

Knowing these details can provide opportunities for miniature scavenger hunts as flowers are dissected and examined.  Kids love being able to find and identify the different parts.  One way to test their knowledge of flower parts and functions is to have them create their own, either by drawing or using three dimensional objects.  Make sure they can identify and explain each part and why they made it the way they did.

Local florists may be willing to share flowers for a class to dissect.  If you call them in advance, they may be able to save out some blooms that aren't perfect for arrangements but would work fine for classroom study.  Flower shops can also be interesting places for a class field trip.  See the interview with Lorrie Carey for examples.