If You Care about Climate Change, You Care about the Farm Bill
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Provided by: Natural Resources Defense Council|Published on: March 30, 2023
Articles/WebsitesScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article explains why anyone who cares about climate change should, in turn, care about the United States' Farm Bill, which is passed every five years and has the power to substantially change how America deals with climate change.
- Students will learn about what the Farm Bill is, the history of the Farm Bill, how legislation can impact the environment, specific facets of the bill and their impacts, climate-friendly farming, food system resilience, equity and accessibility, and some of the problems that the bill may face.
Subjects: Biology, Civics, English Language Arts
Authors: Nicole Greenfield
Region: North America, United States, Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This article is well-written and laid out in a way that is easy to understand.
- Students will benefit from the included text features, such as pictures, captions, and headings.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students would benefit from a general understanding of how the United States government functions.
Differentiation
- Connections can be made in health or science classes that are learning about where our food comes from or the huge effect that land use and agricultural practices have on greenhouse gases emissions and climate change.
- Language arts classes could use this resource to work on non-fiction reading strategies.
- Try creating a whole-class KWL chart on a classroom wall or chalkboard. Have students write on the board what they already know (K) and what they want to learn (W) before reading the article, then have them add what they learned (L) to the chart after reading.
- Economics and civics classes could discuss the importance of using tax dollars to support farming activities that are healthy and sustainable.
This article explains what the Farm Bill is in the United States and how it is updated. The article then explains the different changes the NRDC and other climate-conscious people would like to see implemented in the bill to help improve the environmental impact of farming and agriculture in the United States. This includes things like phasing out factory farming, using different crops or farming techniques, increasing access for marginalized communities to become farmers, improving our food system resilience, and how to support farmers while they make these changes. While this article is focused on the upcoming bill and changes that can be made to it, the article does introduce and touch on many different concepts and practices that relate farming and agriculture to climate change and the environment. The information presented is accurate and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
