Young Farmers Grow: a field trial project of regenerative agriculture

Description

• Age of pupils: 11-15 years old

An orientation toward sustainability and regenerative agriculture was the driver behind Young Farmers Grow. The project was introduced to support activities related to factual study of science, particularly relating to agricultural and environmental sciences in the curricula. Further, it created a link between students and the land to emphasize the importance of proper land management and agronomic techniques. The students were in the age of eleven to fifteen and the main activities include:

• The study and application of good practices for the land
• The management and optimization of water resources
• The measurement and laboratory analysis of soil samples
• The development of a knowledge and awareness of the history of the land

The aim was also to encourage the use of complementing techniques and practices such as precision farming by using a drone for biological control, shallow tillage and elimination of chemicals, the maintenance of locally grown species such as corn, wheat, pea, soybean, and tomato.  Further, there was a historical aspect – meeting with old farmers who explain agriculture in the first half of the 1900s and how it has changed by the use of innovative machinery and new technologies.