As the population of the United States has transitioned from a predominantly agrarian society to an increasingly more urban one, our youth have become detached from a fundamental understanding of agriculture. Nonetheless, we benefit from the innovations and efficiencies of our food supply on a daily basis.
USDA’s Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Program promotes agricultural literacy among the nation’s K-12 students. This is accomplished by a network of AITC programs located across the country that serve nearly 5 million students and 60,000 teachers through workshops and other teaching activities each year. AITC provides resources that incorporate other subjects, such as mathematics, language arts, history, and chemistry, into learning experiences that correspond to state academic standards. Agricultural literacy is fundamental to the development of the next generation of scientists, teachers, and policy-makers to ensure a sufficient food supply for the world’s inhabitants.
