Agriculture is one of Nevada’s — and the nation’s — major industries, yet fewer and fewer people have exposure to farm and ranch life or even a basic understanding of how food and fiber are produced.
Agriculture literacy materials help students develop an understanding of the food, fiber and landscaping systems and how agriculture affects their daily lives. This knowledge encourages students to function more effectively as agriculturally literate citizens.
The Nevada Department of Agriculture serves as a central resource for educators and volunteers who want to teach Nevada’s students about agriculture. We are proud to be an affiliate of the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization.
Under our program, Nevada Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC), we provide training and resources for teachers and pre-service teachers to contextualize their curriculum in the areas of science, social studies, nutrition and career and technical education. Resources have been developed to meet Nevada Academic Content Standards.
Why teach agriculture? Teaching about agriculture in Nevada is an ideal way for students to learn what their state is all about and provide real-life connections to science, math and social studies concepts. Agriculture themes provide perfect real-world connections to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and make learning relevant to students. Agriculture is one of the topics that students can easily connect to because they can apply learned concepts to daily life. After all, who doesn’t enjoy talking about food? Nearly everything we eat, wear, use — even the fuel that powers the cars and buses we ride in — comes from plants and animals grown on farms.
For more on our Agricultural Literacy Approaches, Education Integration, Lesson Plan Examples, Teacher Professional Development, Signature Beef Project Ideas, and to find other Ag literacy / teaching resources, please contact:
Amber Smyer, Agricultural Literacy Coordinator
NDA Administration Division
405 South 21st Street, Sparks, NV 89431
Office: 775.353.3769
Or visit: agri.nv.gov/aglit