Main Content
The Challenge
By the year 2050, world population will grow to 9.7 billion people.
Feeding these additional 2 billion people, in ways that sustain environmental, economic, and human health, is a monumental task that will challenge agriculture like never before.
To meet this challenge, we will need a public that supports modern, science-based approaches to food and agriculture.
At the same time, we need to recruit the best and brightest people to become tomorrow’s farmers, scientists, technicians, and analysts.
The Solution
Successfully engaging young people across demographic and socioeconomic boundaries is paramount to our future success.
Our Approach
At Lone Oaks Farm, the University of Tennessee has developed an approach to connect K-12 students to agriculture in powerful ways.
By partnering with K-12 schools to focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and our quest to sustainably feed the world, we reach a broad population of children and give them experiences that will forever change their view of agriculture and natural resources.
What We Do
We have developed a model of education that engages teachers and creates special learning opportunities
Partner With Schools
Partner with public, private, and home schools to connect a broad diversity of students to concepts taught in the classroom to real life, though hands-on experiences in agriculture and natural resources.
Create Moments
Create powerful moments that engage learners’ hearts, minds, and senses.
Inspire Curiosity
Inspire curiosity through dynamic, interactive and shared learning experiences, led by talented and experienced educators.
Engage Students
Engage students by framing issues in ways that have personal meaning to them and encourages them to develop authentic values about agriculture and natural resources.
As the education program at Lone Oaks Farm matures, we expect to impact tens of thousands of students each year. As significant as this is, there are tens of millions of children that won’t be reached by our program.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about this approach is that it can easily be replicated at dozens of other facilities across the U.S. and world. By creating a national network of such centers of excellence, agriculture can begin to reach a broad swath of tomorrow’s consumers, citizens, and agricultural professionals in new and influential ways.
Partner With Us
We need your help to create a national network of centers dedicated to providing high-quality STEM education programs through hands-on experiences in agriculture and natural resources. By leveraging existing facilities and working together across boundaries, we can transform how we connect children to agriculture and ensure our ability to safely and sustainably feed the world.
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