Conventional Versus Ecological Farming
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
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 →
Provided by Ecosia
What it is
- This video by Ecosia showcases an almond farmer in Spain who converted their conventional practices to ecological or regenerative farming practices to improve soil quality and plant health.
- It highlights the reasons why conventional farming practices are not sustainable and why more ecologically conscious farming is needed.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The video gives a first-person account of the benefits of ecological farming.
- Students will learn the important message that just because something has always been done one way doesn't mean there isn't a better way.
Prerequisites
- The farmers speak in Spanish during the video. You may need to pause the video periodically to ensure students have time to read the subtitles when the farmers are speaking.
- There may be an ad before the video.
- There is also a Spanish version of this video, available here.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Social studies and economics classes could discuss the benefits of using fewer chemicals and providing more jobs to local communities.
- Biology courses could use this video when discussing photosynthesis, limiting nutrients, or the carbon cycle. Students can then transition from a discussion about the carbon cycle to one about human carbon emissions and climate change.
- Other resources about the impacts of farming include this interactive data resource, this UN report, this video, and this article.
From the scientist review
This resource is a 6-minute video consisting primarily of an interview with a father and son pair of Spanish almond farmers (in Spanish with English subtitles). They discuss the conventional farming methods used by the father and the ecological and restorative farming methods the son learned at university. The son was eventually able to convince the father to adopt the more sustainable methods. This is an inspirational video showing the power of multi-generational agriculture. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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