Our Interdependence inputs stood in stark contrast to the format of the Climate Change inputs from weeks prior. In the first week we visited two dairy farms in Ayrshire, and in the second week we worked in groups to research and then compile infographics on sustainable fishing.

 

Farm Visits

The first farm my group visited was Strandhead. I will be he first to admit that I knew little to nothing about dairy farming before the visit, and it was an interesting perspective to consider farming practices from. I believe that my lack of knowledge in this area enabled me to effectively consider the learning opportunities from a child’s point of view – what would be interesting/not, what they might ask or want to know, and what they might want to learn about after such a visit. I also found myself considering how to approach the subject and trip content from a teaching standpoint – how visits would be organised, risk assessment, and further opportunities for learning and carrying on the topic upon return to the classroom.

Strandhead was a very technology-driven farm, with automation driving much of the farm’s processes, from mixing and distributing food to the animals, milking and an automated brush for the cattle to use as they wanted. It was clearly a very efficient system which worked well, though there were some aspects which I was unsure about, and in hindsight, there are questions which I would now know to ask should I take a class on a farm visit, such as why the calves are removed from their mothers. It did not occur to me to ask at the first farm, but it was clarified at the second, and were I to take a class now, having a little better understanding of the farm processes would enable me to ask questions which would enhance my pupils’ learning, should the questions not occur to them. That being said, children are inherently curious and are likely to ask a lot of questions that I would not have thought to ask on the visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A trip such as this would also be a good starting point for learning about how industry has changed over time, from manually-operated farming practices to more automated methods, and how the role of the farmer has changed with this.

 

The second farm we visited was Mossgiel, an organic dairy farm. It was fascinating to see the differences in practices within the same industry, and learning about the regulations which organic farms are held to, such as restrictions on fertilisers. On a purely personal note, I found that I preferred this farm, in part due to some of the choices made by the owner. It was clear that the owner had put a deal of research into finding good practices which allowed him to yield a good product while remaining sustainable and environmentally friendly. An example of such a choice was the decision to add seaweed to the animals’ diet. This was informed by research which suggested that a certain intake of seaweed would lower the methane output of the cattle on the farm, which lowers the environmental impact of the farm itself.

Another such choice was the use of potatoes rejected by supermarkets as part of the cattle’s feed. There is currently an issue surrounding waste and the tendency of supermarkets to reject perfectly edible food on a purely aesthetic basis, so finding that they were being put to use and not truly going to waste was reassuring, although it does raise a question around the realities of farming vegetables that I had not considered – the impact on the livelihoods of vegetable farmers and the rationale behind much of our food waste, when we are prospectively looking at a global shortfall in food stocks. (Highlighted through the work of the Feeding 9 Billion food security initiative – found here.)

 

I particularly liked the aspect of this farm which was inspired by the idea of moses baskets in hospitals – that the calves had to be quarantined for health reasons, but that they were kept close by their mothers to allow them to interact and have contact after they were born while maintaining the animals’ health. To me it demonstrated a great deal of care and thought for their wellbeing and health while still subscribing to health regulations and safety concerns.

I found myself considering the benefits of taking a class on the two trips as opposed to only visiting one farm. It would allow the children to see alternate perspectives of the same industry, and could also facilitate follow-up class discussion about several factors, notably the differences in practices, considering the rationale behind those differences and allowing for development of critical thought and analysis by allowing children to discuss which farm they preferred, and why. It would consolidate their learning about different approached by discussing and respecting each other’s thoughts and opinions on what they have learned while also developing their critical thinking and encouraging reasonable debate and discussion of scientific and industrial issues. It could also serve as a plenary of sorts, recapping prior learning to ensure that children understand and can synthesise their own thoughts and ideas about the topic.

 

Sustainable Seas

For our second input, we were put into groups to research and produce an infographic around the issue of sustainable fishing. Research for this topic involved watching a number of videos from the Scottish fishing industry (making it relevant to sustainability in Scotland) and reading reports such as the Living Blue Planet Report and accessing the MSC webpage which discussing specific regulations and certification around sustainable fishing.

This was an enlightening task, as this is not an area of sustainability that I had given much thought to. I was aware of some of the issues regarding overfishing, but some of the information regarding the scale of the impact on future food resources, the environment and communities was startling to read. It was staggering to consider that by 2050, the ocean’s temperature could potentially be high enough to completely inhibit coral growth (Living Blue Planet Report, 2015). On its own it seems like an insignificant fact, but when you consider the multitude of organisms and roles that coral supports and fills in terms of oceanic ecosystems, the knock-on effect of losing it is massive. Habitats and shelters for a multitude of animals will be lost, and it is likely that any organisms who cannot adapt to such a swift and sever change in environment will be lost alongside it. Add to this the impact of losing those organisms – losing one part of a food chain can have an impact on others, for example, losing a prey species in a food chain will force predators to find other sources of food, which can put strain on other food chains as the existing system is forced to cope with unexpected competition for resources among predators. Add to this the potential that these prey species (e.g. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, which are listed as highly vulnerable to extinction) are also a resource exploited by humans, then the resulting impact could be devastating for the species.

This would be an interesting subject to approach with learners, as with the farm visits, as it could be used as a starting point for discussion and debate amongst learners. It could encourage learners to think about where their food comes from and what they can do to make changes to support sustainable fishing themselves, while also teaching them about the wider global impact of overfishing on their global and national community, and our global biodiversity.

 

Curriculum for Excellence

Some of the E’s and O’s I have found that learning based around farm visits and sustainable fishing could be incorporated or lead into are:

• Having explored the variety of foods produced in Scotland, I can  discuss the importance of different types of agriculture in the production of these foods. SOC 1-09a

This could be incorporated through learning about agricultural practice and fisheries in Scotland, and could potentially form the basis for a fact file or series of topic-focused activities in the form of research, presentations or posters, which could then facilitate class discussion.

 

References and Resources

Education Scotland (2004). A Curriculum for Excellence. Edinburgh: Scottish Government

feeding9billion. (2017). feeding9billion. [online] Available at: https://feeding9billion.com/ [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].

Living Blue Planet Report: Species, Habitats and Human Well-Being. (2015). WWF.

Oceana. (2017). What We Do. [online] Available at: http://oceana.org/what-we-do [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].