The disciplines of agriculture and education have been related for much of our nation's history. When most Americans lived on farms or in small towns, students often did farm chores before and after school. Old schoolbooks have numerous agricultural references. As the farming population began to decline, agricultural emphasis decreased in educational materials as well. NIFA's Agriculture in the Classroom Program (AITC) serves nearly 5 million students and 60,000 teachers annually through workshops, conferences, field trips, farm tours, and other educational activities. The AITC program works in partnership with state AITC organizations and support activities engaged in a variety of issues relating to agricultural literacy in rural and urban America.
For more information, please visit the Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom (AITC) funding opportunity.