These interactive, online learning labs cover a variety of topics, including: Environment, Food, Food Waste, Tech + Innovation, Careers and more! Have fun exploring these agriculture and food-related topics.
Explore the innovative ways countries are revolutionizing farming to ensure we can feed humanity in a way that works with the environment. About 10,000 years ago, humans began to farm. This agricultural revolution was a turning point in our history and enabled the existence of civilization. Today, nearly 40% of our planet is farmland. Spread all over the world, these lands are the pieces to a global puzzle we’re all facing: in the future, how can we feed every member of a growing population a healthy diet? Brent Loken investigates.
In a multi-week experiment, students monitor the core temperatures of two compost piles, one control and one tended, to see how air and water affect microbial activity. They daily aerate and wet the "treated" pile and collect 4-6 weeks' worth of daily temperature readings. Once the experiment is concluded, students plot and analyze their data to compare the behavior of the two piles. They find that the treated pile becomes hotter, an indication that more microbes are active and releasing heat. Through this activity, students see that microbes play a role in composting and how composting can be used as a carbon management process.
In a multi-week experiment, student teams gather biogas data from the mini-anaerobic digesters that they build to break down different types of food waste with microbes. Using plastic soda bottles for the mini-anaerobic digesters and gas measurement devices, they compare methane gas production from decomposing hot dogs, diced vs. whole. They monitor and measure the gas production, then graph and analyze the collected data. Students learn how anaerobic digestion can be used to biorecycle waste (food, poop or yard waste) into valuable resources (nutrients, biogas, energy).
To expose students to modern agriculture issues, scientific solutions, and the outcomes of those decisions, while discussing the sciences of biology and biotechnology.
"Canadians have more choices and pay some of the lowest prices in the world for FOOD — thanks in part to the plant science technologies farmers use, from pesticides to plant biotechnology."
Use this resource to learn more about food.
This mini unit plan is taken right from Ag in the classroom. Lesson plans and handouts are included. Topics discussed include, food waste, soil science, plant biology, and climate change.