Describes three projects: (1) the Laufenburg Ranch Project, a historical organic farm and agricultural and environmental education center; (2) the Hershey Montessori School's efforts to teach adolescents about the earth; and (3) the Lake Country School, which developed a farm campus and nature center as an integral part of its educational program.…

Discusses ecological, social, and moral issues associated with destruction of rural communities, industrial agriculture, gene patenting and international trade. Analyzes agricultural ramifications of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Cites these and other measures as the struggle of industrialized…

Trends in farming and farm household incomes in Ireland are presented in the context of global competitiveness. Addresses the issue of extension's dilemma in providing fee-based service while relying on public monies. (SK)

Uses of the agricultural knowledge systems concept of information flow are described in Holland, Bhutan, Switzerland, and India. Application of the model for gaining an overview of institutions must be combined with a functional approach for designing appropriate extension programs. (SK)

Responses from 281 of 689 elementary teachers indicated they had positive perceptions of the agriculture industry and integration of agriculture into the curriculum. Over 80% used agriculture activities, especially the study of animals, plants, food, nutrition, environment, wildlife, and insects. (Contains 38 references.) (SK)

Describes technological advances in the Global Positioning System (GPS), which is also known as the NAVSTAR GPS satellite constellation program developed in 1937, and changes in the nature of our world by GPS in the areas of agriculture, health, military, transportation, environment, wildlife biology, surveying and mapping, space applications, and…

There are those who lament a situation that they feel needs changing, and there are those who set out to change it. The late Sam Combs Jr. was one who chose the path of action. In 1994, Combs, a retired soil conservationist and former agriculture education instructor, along with four other retired agriculture educators--W.G. Parker, James R.…

The last decade has witnessed a dramatic rise in global trade in food and agricultural products. While much analysis has focused on the role of the world Trade Organization (WTO) in this process, we argue that other forms of regulation are of far greater consequence. In this paper, we examine changes in the agrifood system made possible by the…

Between 1945 and 1975, the twin pillars of U.S. agricultural policy--price supports and production controls--were weakened significantly. Price supports levels were reduced and made flexible in 1954, and the concept of parity was removed in 1973. Production controls were softened in 1964 and 1973. How can we explain these policy shifts? While…

In the context of declining government subsidization of agriculture, many analysts have predicted reversals in certain characteristic trends of post-1945 Western agriculture with positive implications for agroecosystem well-being. One example, investigated herein, is the suggestion that, in the absence of government safety nets, farmers will seek…

Metaevaluations are systematic reviews of evaluations to determine the quality of their processes and findings. The knowledge about evaluation quality that results from metaevaluation of multiple evaluations can be used to inform researchers' decisions about which studies to include in evaluation syntheses. Metaevaluations of multiple studies are…

An experiment is described which uses a real-world sample of lawn fertilizer in a simple exercise to illustrate problems associated with the sampling step of a chemical analysis. A mixed-particle fertilizer containing discrete particles of iron oxide (magnetite, Fe[subscript 3]O[subscript 4]) mixed with other particles provides an excellent…

High-level agricultural manpower training in Ethiopian institutions of higher education (AIHE)specializing in agriculture and related fields was studied. The study reveals that high-level agricultural manpower training began in the early 1950s and that, at present, the country has seven institutions of higher learning, which train students in…

The proliferation of bioinformatics in modern biology marks a modern revolution in science that promises to influence science education at all levels. This study analyzed secondary school science standards of 49 U.S. states (Iowa has no science framework) and the District of Columbia for content related to bioinformatics. The bioinformatics…

Globalization and shifting societal relations with nature generate change and conflicting politics in rural areas of industrialized nations. In this context, "multifunctionality" has emerged as an important policy logic to stabilize commodity production while encouraging amenity-based development and the production of ecological…