Humans, the Environment, and the Great Plains

Farming

Background:

Agriculture plays a key role in human life. The modern farmer has the important job of feeding the world. He uses advanced methods and new products to increase his yield from the land to provide food to the growing populations. This practice, however, also brings about some serious problems like erosion, pollution, and decreasing cultivable land.

Objective:

This lesson will focus on various farming practices and the effects they have on the environment. At the end of the plan, students will have learnt that, though modern agriculture produces sufficient food, it also results in environmental degradation which, in the long run, leads to problems like erosion and pollution.

Plan:

1. Explain to students the various techniques used in modern farming. These will include the use of chemical fertilizers for higher yields, deep plowing to mix the soil, use of pesticides and herbicides to protect the crops from insects, and other such practices.
2. Next, have the students think about the negative impact of such techniques: fertilizers release harmful chemicals that contaminate groundwater sources; deep plowing leads to soil erosion by wind and water; spraying of crops with pesticides contaminate soil, which in turn washes into creeks and rivers, contaminating water resources. Emphasize upon students the fact that modern farming does lead to larger food production, but it also, in the long run, brings about a host of environment related problems which could impact the future of mankind.
3. After students have understood the relation between present day agricultural practices and resulting environmental imbalances, have them imagine themselves as future farmers who are faced with a depleted landscape with very little or no cultivable land, polluted water sources, and a growing population to feed.
4. Having created such a scenario, re-emphasize upon the students that the solution to such a bleak future lies in maintaining a proper balance between agriculture and environment. Agriculture is vital for human existence, but so is our environment. Both have to be protected for perpetuity. 

Testing, Grading, and Evaluation:

Have students ponder over the fact that organically grown farm produce has become much more expensive than vegetables and fruits grown with the aid of chemical fertilizers. Is this the trend for the future? Ask students to imagine a scenario where agriculture is almost non-existent and then have them think about alternative food sources.

Primary Course: Social Studies

Applicable Grades: 5 - 10

Related Courses: Science

Time Required: 1 hour

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