Lesson 6: Launch student food-climate action projects.

Large pieces of chart paper for writing/drawing ideas
Markers and other writing instruments
Printed out Farm Resilience Plan with Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity scores filled out (credit: MESA and Dr. Clara Nichols).

Agenda:

Warm-up: Students brainstorm ideas and projects to strengthen the climate resilience of the farm and promote climate change mitigation. Encourage a variety of ideas, encompassing farmer-to-farmer networks, demonstration farms, social/communications/educational projects, and land management projects.
Mini Lesson: Discuss pros and cons, feasibility of all the ideas brainstormed. Write on chart paper/board.
Activity 1: Break students into groups to further develop a few promising ideas/projects.
Activity 2: Create a Climate Resilience Plan and map for the farm, incorporating the risk/resilience evaluation from Lesson 4, and the projects to be undertaken based on the day’s discussion. Climate Resilience Plan should encompass timeline through 2050. Think about the predicted changes for your region (from the National Climate Assessment), and create both a visual map and written description of things the farm should either start doing or continue doing to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Ideas include planting decisions/timing, crop varieties, soil amendments, water management/irrigation strategies, energy generation and sources on the farm… etc!
Wrap-up: Discuss plan for implementing and monitoring projects going forward. Will students continue to be involved? If so, how? If not, will other visiting students engage in the project? Is there informational signage that is needed to help translate information to new students/visitors?