By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
Students can now travel to a virtual farm to explore food sustainability around the world, thanks to Journey 2050, a program collaboration between Nutrien and National Agriculture in the Classroom.
The free online experience is designed to promote agricultural education and sustainability for grades 7-12. And an upcoming educator webinar will help teachers learn ways to implement the program in their classroom.
“The creators focused on the year 2050. because it’s a key moment in time when the world’s population will be a projected 10 billion,” Jordan Walker, Texas Farm Bureau director of Educational Outreach, said. “To feed that many people, food production needs are expected to rise by 60 to 70 percent, so we’re going to have to fully embrace many aspects of technology in agriculture to get there. The future literally lies with today’s students understanding this issue and creating solutions.”
The webinar will focus on key subjects covered by the program, including sustainability, plant and soil health, water, economy, land use, culture, careers and agrotechnology.
“Journey 2050 is free to use, and the great thing about the program in light of today’s environment is it can be used in a classroom setting or totally online,” Walker said. “So, even if the teachers are leading a virtual classroom, Journey 2050 can still be used to help kids learn about agriculture and food production in an interactive and fun way.”
Journey 2050 also allows the educator to track the progress of each student throughout the program. This allows teachers to ensure core concepts are completed and understood before the students move on to the next level.
“I’d really encourage any teachers who are looking to add some agricultural education concepts to their classroom to join the webinar and find out more about using Journey 2050 this school year,” Walker said. “As the program gains more users, they create more content and add levels and lesson plans, so it just gets more fun and more interactive for students as they go along.”
The webinar is set for Aug. 13 from 1-2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (12-1 p.m. Central).
Questions regarding the webinar or the Journey 2050 program can be directed to programs@naitco.org.