The Agroecology Futurists Club

Commodities

Practices

This program will deploy an interdisciplinary approach to exposing youth to environmental and land stewardship through sustainable farming, entrepreneurship, and a vision of futurity that incorporates justice-based agriculture careers in urban and rural settings by engaging with Agroecology as a touchstone for learning. Defined as a practice that encourages a holistic approach to agriculture that aims to incorporate ecological, economic, and social principles to design and manage sustainable food systems, the program will locate the history of cultural production in agriculture as a pathway for the participants to identify with their potential in the area of focus.

The objectives of this program are:

1. To introduce 10 Black youth ages 14-18 to a curriculum that highlights the merits of sustainable agriculture while using culturally relevant measures that include learning Black History, entrepreneurship, and scientific knowledge.
2. To introduce participants to sustainable agriculture experiential learning through field trips to urban and rural farms to experience farming firsthand.
3. Students develop and present YPAR projects about possibilities or histories for sustainable agriculture to affect Black communities on issues such as climate justice, food security, and economic empowerment in communities during a curated session at the annual Indiana Black Loam Workshop.