Farming is an integral part of Canada’s past, present, and future. In this video, Evan Fraser, director of the Arell Food Institute, discusses how Canada’s farmers can become more sustainable in their agricultural practices.
The Food 2050 Series is a collection of videos from The Rockefeller Foundation about regenerative agriculture and food sustainability across the globe. A specific Saskatchewan example that connects to Indigenous agricultural practices is included.
Through this activity students will learn about food security and some of the causes of food insecurity both globally and at home. Then students will explore how food fits into a household budget and explore how some real-world challenges can affect the budgets and food choices of families. Developed in partnership with Conexus Credit Union.
Teachers understand that there are many layers of content, outcomes, skills, and experiences that our students require throughout their educational journey to become competent 21st century learners. Teachers have must dos, such as curricular outcomes and assessment, but there are also many additional elements to provide enrichment to learning for students. All of these layers can become overwhelming if only considered from the perspective of teaching these elements in silos. GAP or Grade Alike Planning in Sun West has offered opportunities to teachers to reimagine these elements by infusing them together. The GAP Infusion Poster illustrates a visual of this philosophy where many elements are blended thoughtfully together to meet many learning outcomes, provide many opportunities, and give students' voice and choice in their learning by exploring their interests and learning needs.
GM stands for genetically modified. So, GM crops are plants grown for food whose genes have been altered using genetic engineering. In some cases, the genes of other organisms have been inserted into the genome of the crop plant to improve it in some way. As the human population increases, there is a higher demand for food, and it is often difficult to grow enough food to provide everyone with a balanced diet. Growing GM crops is a partial solution to this problem because GM crops tend to have higher yields than conventional crops.
This video explains GM crops and outlines the pros and cons of production.
Solving food shortages caused by droughts is a big challenge that may benefit from a tiny ally. Turns out that the microbes living in the soil around plants can give them a boost when water's scarce, which means more food for us, which is a big win!
How does climate change affect agriculture? A changing climate makes growing conditions more difficult. This video by Syngenta talks specifically about how soil impacts agriculture and how soil improvements will be key to agriculture with climate change.
High-tech hydroponic urban farming is making a case for itself as a made-in-Canada solution for food stability. It's safe, organic, and scalable, and it could become a new source of food security in isolated communities and major cities.
This video from CBC News looks at how hydroponic farming is being used.
Journey 2050 is an online farming simulation that teaches students about food sustainability across the globe. The program challenges students to consider how we will feed an ever-growing population that is projected to reach 10 billion by 2050. Using an inquiry-based approach, this gamified, virtual program encourages students to make decisions and adjust them as they see their impact on society, the environment, and the economy at a local and global scale. Singing up as an educator gives you access to the teacher guides and resources. You can choose how you would like to use this based on the number of hours you are willing to give.
Let's Make Butter! Learn about dairy in your diet, and see how butter is made.. in real time!
Did you know that McDonald's World Famous Fries® are made with 100% Canadian potatoes? This video features the Levesque Family, just one of the many Canadian potato farmers working to provide McDonald's with potatoes. Check out our interview to learn more about their story, life on the farm, and which qualities to look for in the perfect potato.
The #MyFoodChoice resource is an inquiry-based resource answering the overall question of "How can I make informed food choices?" This resources has videos, interactive student sheets, approved resources and more. It is aimed at grade 9-12 students in subjects such as science, food studies, English, agriculture, social studies, humanities to name a few.
Métis culture will continue to be lived and celebrated when we pass our knowledge on to the generations who follow us.
Everyone is on a learning journey. While exploring historical and contemporary Métis ways of knowing and doing, these learning packages provide knowledge and understanding for students and teachers. Topics include: Traditional Harvesting Methods, Geographical Terms, Music and Dance, Conversational Michif, Beading, and Traditional Foods. The lesson plans and videos highlight Knowledge Keepers walking in the tall prairie grass, Elders preparing la galette (bannock), students learning Michif numbers, and family greeting each other for tea. We hope these resources will assist you in your learning.
CropLife/ASTA Video on plant breeding and its many milestones.
The Three Sisters, developed by Native Americans, is one of the earliest examples of companion planting.
We truly are lucky here in Canada to enjoy many different food choices for our diets. Questions do arise on different proteins we consume: how much is enough, what do we need and are plant and animal-based proteins the same? Long-time dietitian and mother, Carol Harrison, answers these questions through a fun and meaningful dialogue about how meat protein is structured differently than plant protein. She also includes some tips on how to extend your meat budget a bit more.
This resource includes a teachers guide consisting of 9 lessons to help students explore wetlands and a wide variety of ecological concepts, and a student project guide for Grades 4 to 6 to support the lessons. Developed by Ducks Unlimited.
Link to student journal: https://resources.aitc.sk.ca/Portals/0/AITC/Resources/ClassResources/Wetland%20Ecosystems%201%20Student%20PDF.8ZdII1.pdf
This video weighs the pros and cons of organic farming. It fits well with the Fuse School video "What is organic farming?".
Take a virtual field trip of Rayner Dairy Barn in Saskatoon and then follow up with some classroom activities.Watch the video here.
SaskAgMatters is a local support network that provides mental wellness resources to those in the agriculture community. This link is for their main website. It also includes several additional mental health resources available in Saskatchewan. This resource works well when discussing specific mental health supports available for those in agriculture.