|
Virginia Foundation for
Agriculture in the Classroom
![Virginia Farmers]()
Did you grow up on a farm?
Perhaps you didn’t, but have memories of visits to friends’ or relatives’ farms. Do you remember chores like gathering eggs, feeding animals, or weeding the vegetable garden? Have you ever eaten a meal with vegetables that were growing in the garden less than an hour ago? For many people, memories of life on a farm are a treasured part of their upbringing. For others, farming is a way of life that they work hard to preserve. However, for most people today, experiences on a farm are limited or even non-existent.
With less than 2% of today’s population engaged in production farming, most of our children will not experience farm life as part of their upbringing. Most of our society’s connection to the land and to our food and fiber supply is through grocery stores and field trips. Agriculture in the Classroom helps to strengthen teacher’s and student’s connection to the land by providing a comprehensive picture of the importance of agriculture. AITC materials help Virginia’s educators and children understand the impact of agriculture on their daily lives, our society, the economy, the environment and the landscape.
The Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom funds the Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) educational initiatives and programs. Agriculture and gardening provide a living laboratory where lessons are drawn from real-life experiences rather than textbook examples. Students become active participants in their own learning. AITC provides teachers with the training and materials to integrate agriculturally-based lessons into their classrooms which satisfy Virginia’s educational standards.
Resource materials, books, instructional kits, grants, lessons and activities are all provided to Virginia teachers and schools at no cost. Contributions from individuals, corporations, agricultural organizations and private foundations make AITC’s programs and services possible. The generosity of our supporters enables AITC to provide quality programs and continue to develop new and interesting resources that meet the needs of educators across Virginia.
|
|
|
