Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Career Cluster
Agroecology |
Agroecology is a two-year program for students who want to learn by doing real work outside with the natural world, like growing food to eat and sell, exploring plant and animal farming, landscaping, greenhouse management, ecological restoration, forest work, and more. Students will do real work solving real problems and gain a strong foundation in environmental, plant, soil, entomological science. Activities will use a holistic system approach to meeting our needs to feed, clothe, shelter and entertain ourselves in a way that our land, society, and ecosystem can sustain. Plant identification, growth mediums, seed beds, plant environment and eco-friendly pest control are all part of the program. There will be projects in landscape design and rehabilitation which will require learning plant, tree, shrub, and flower maintenance. Of course there will be preparation in the safe use of horticulture equipment, chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides.
To prepare students to run their own agroecology businesses there will be projects that teach leadership, customer service, business & financial management, advertising, and marketing from wholesale to retail, farm stands to web sites. Everyone will understand the local, regional, and national horticulture business standards and climate.
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For students in grades: |
11-12 |
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Credits: |
A maximum of three credits per year |
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Graduation Requirement: |
Science - A student who successfully completes this two-year program shall receive one credit in science towards graduation. |
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Prerequisite: |
Science with a 70 or above; Two-years of Math with 70 or above; or Instructor approval |
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Suggested Preparation: |
9th grade reading level; Biology and Introduction to Horticulture |
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Agroecology Students Study: |
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- Standards of effective fertilization
- Mapping landscapes
- GPS tools
- Transplanting techniques
- Propagation, genetics, and grafting
- Land legalities: conservancies and Land Trusts
- Agriculture Easements
- Working Lands and Working Forests
(Fuel, Fiber (Harnessing Microbial Magicians))
- Bio-fuel production
- Silvacuture (Fuel, Fiber and Food from the forest)
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