Population trends project the world population will grow by two billion in the next 40 years, requiring a 70% increase in food production to feed the world. To meet this demand, the future generation of farmers, scientists and other professionals will need to be Ag innovators. That?s where the 4?H Ag Innovators Experience comes in.
The 2017 4?H Ag Innovators Experience is the Healthy Soils Carbon Soil Investigation Challenge which teaches 4-H youth about the importance of preserving and improving soil health through a variety of different methods to help create a sustainable ecosystem responsible for our food and fiber needs, environmental quality, and human health.
This is the fourth year National 4-H Council has collaborated with Monsanto on the 4-H Ag Innovators program which engages youth in five states to build awareness of, and interest in, agriculture innovation and careers. This year?s Healthy Soils Carbon Soil Investigation Challenge events were held throughout the summer in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio.
Abigail Myers of Springfield participated in the challenge and shared her experience in the following essay.
Like most kids my age, I look forward to summer for a break from school with long days spent outside ? hiking, swimming, enjoying barbeque at picnics and getting to hang out with my friends. And also like most kids my age, I have never given much thought to agriculture or where the food, that is part of so many of my favorite summer activities, comes from.
This summer, in addition to all of my regular activities, I also got the chance to experience agriculture firsthand and learn how important it is to make sure the soil, where our food grows is healthy, thanks to the 4-H Ag Innovators Experience (AIE).
Before participating in the AIE, I didn?t give much thought to how food is grown and raised. When I thought about where my food comes from, I thought about our local grocery store. Now that I?ve had the chance to learn that ?soil? just doesn?t mean ?dirt,? I have a new appreciation for agriculture and what it takes to grow the food that fills the grocery store shelves. Keeping soil healthy for the future will require continuous innovation and young people, like me, to help lead the way to solve new challenges.
I really enjoyed getting to participate in the hands-on 4-H AIE Healthy Soils Investigation
Abigail Myers, left, of Springfield participated in the Healthy Soils Carbon Soil Investigation Challenge in Columbus this summer.
Challenge and walked away with not only a fun experience, but a much better understanding of how agriculture is connected to our everyday lives. It was fun getting to work in teams to perform the Slake Test and Chemical Test to determine the health of our soil sample. Using the micro-robot to build a mini no-till planter was a bit challenging at first, but after a few tries, my team was able to build a planter that disrupted only a small amount of soil when planting which is good for the soil ecosystem.
I believe it is imperative that young people learn about agriculture and understand the relevance of agriculture in their everyday lives. With the world population expected to reach nine billion by the year 2050, we will be tasked with the challenge of growing enough food. Young people are the new generation and soon they will be the ones behind the design boards, wearing lab coats and conducting the science experiments that will lead to new discoveries in agriculture.
To learn more about the 4-H Ag Innovators Experience program, visit www.4-h.org/about/partners/monsanto/.
