Certified Organic Farming Principles and Practices: A Course Linking Farmers and University Students

Abstract

Certified organic food and fiber production is an important part of the agricultural economy. A course at the University of Kentucky was developed and focused specifically on organic farming. Course goals included increasing students' agronomic knowledge and their ability to consider farms as ecosystems, and fostering respect for farmers. The course sought to balance the personal, holistic methods of thinking used by alternative agriculture practitioners and the formal, objective approach of the land-grant university. Farmer expertise was essential. Students read case studies of organic farms, spoke with farmers by conference call, and visited local organic farmers. As they learned from farmers, students also considered information from the formal scientific literature to strengthen their understanding of ecological and social interactions in organic farming. Students visited local organic farmers and presented their own farm case studies to the class. Students wrote papers recommending research-based solutions to production problems faced by their farmers. Students reported that they learned about diverse agricultural techniques, found that many farm systems fall under the organic umbrella, and learned that farmers have many motivations for using organic practices. Some students stated intentions to try organic methods on their own gardens, buy more organic food, work in urban gardens, educate people about organic farming, and support sustainable agriculture in careers as agricultural professionals. Students reported new appreciation for nonquantifiable quality of life issues such as how people spend time, new awareness of humans' interaction with the natural environment, and new recognition of their responsibility for their actions.

Enhancing Undergraduate Agro‐Ecological Laboratory Employment through Experiential Learning

“…In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of academic programs and courses in the fields of sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and agroecology (Grabau, 2008; Bhavsar, 2002), and in students interested in pursuing such options. In an effort to improve learning and motivate students, sustainable agriculture educators have devised creative means to engage undergraduates involved in these programs in “real world” learning through their academic experiences.…”

“…Like in the environmental science discipline, service-learning has a unique place in sustainable agriculture due to the field's applied nature and opportunities for multidisciplinary applications. Some upper-level undergraduate sustainable agriculture courses base large portions of course content on service-learning to help train agricultural professionals to collaboratively solve targeted agricultural problems and implement systemic changes in agricultural systems (Jordan I n recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of academic programs and courses in the fields of sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and agroecology (Grabau, 2008;Bhavsar, 2002), and in students interested in pursuing such options. In an effort to improve learning and motivate students, sustainable agriculture educators have devised creative means to engage undergraduates involved in these programs in "real world" learning through their academic experiences.…”

Teaching and Learning in Agronomy: One Hundred Years of Peer‐Reviewed Conversations

“…An interest in organic and/or sustainable agriculture has been around for quite some time, but undergraduate courses and programs in this area have been relatively rare. During the past 5 yr, JNRLSE has seen five papers in this area: Bhavsar (2002), Karsten and O'Connor (2002), Wiedenhoeft et al (2003), Falk et al (2005), and Jordan et al (2005) With appropriate administrative support, faculty are willing, even eager to create new courses and curricula that fulfill the needs of undergraduate and graduate students in emerging fields.…”

A Century of Agronomic Education

“…One new topic in this era was organic farming, including a case study about nutrient management for organic farming (Mikkelsen, 2000) and a course on organic farming principles and practices (Bhavsar, 2002). A course centered on agroecology, in this case coupled with service learning, illustrated the breadth appearing in agronomic education (Jordan et al, 2005).…”