Information on Growing Food in Times of Climate Change
Tags: 
Climate Change
Place of Learning: 
Farm
Garden Classroom
Contributor

ESY Berkeley Teaching Staff
Edible Schoolyard Project
Berkeley, CA

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Summary: 
This resource, compiled by farmer and Edible Schoolyard Project adviser Wendy Johnson, provides an overview of organizations that advance environmental causes, as well as websites, films, and books that explore ecologically sound growing practices.
Websites and Films
The California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCan)
  • calclimateag.org
  • This top-notch coalition advances policies to support agriculture in the face of global climate change.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
  • sustainableagriculture.net
  • An alliance of grassroots organizations advocating for the sustainability of agriculture food systems, natural resources and rural communities. NSAC publishes informative Action Alerts in their Weekly Roundup.
The Greenhorns
  • thegreenhorns.net
  • This non-traditional grassroots nonprofit organization is composed of young farmers and a diversity of collaborators. Please review their new Farmers’ Almanac and the affiliated work of Agrarian Trust.
Point Blue: Conservation Science for a Healthy Planet
  • pointblue.org
  • This excellent nonprofit organization has been serving the conservation community for 50 years. They are innovative leaders in developing climate smart conservation science and offering nature-based solutions to global climate change. In particular, see President and CEO Ellie Cohen’s weekly blog, Ecology and Climate Change News.
Symphony of the Soil - A film by Deborah Koons Garcia.
  • symphonyofthesoil.com
  • Filmed on four continents and featured world esteemed scientists, this important film highlights the latest research on soil’s key role in ameliorating the challenging environmental issues of our time. Lily Films, 2012.
Recommended Books
Growing Food in a Hotter, Dryer Land
  • Gary Paul Nabham. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013.
  • This excellent and timely book includes practical principles and techniques from desert farmers on adapting to climate uncertainty.
Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed
  • Vandana Shiva. Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 2007.
  • This excellent document lays out, in practical steps, a program to ensure that food and agriculture remain socially and ecologically sustainable.
Omnivore’s Dilemma (Young Readers Edition) 
  • Michael Pollan. Turtleback, 2009.
  • Delves into facts about food and global health implications resulting from food choices made by people around the world, encouraging readers to consider their food choices and eating habits. For use in schools and libraries only.
Original Instructions 
  • ed. Melissa Nelson. Rochester, VT: Bear and Company, 2008.
  • For millennia, the world’s indigenous peoples have managed reciprocal relationships between diverse biological ecosystems in order to transmit traditional ecological knowledge and native foodways.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
  • Robin Wall Kimmerer. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2013.
  • This beautifully written book enriches the world of science with the ancient knowledge and teachings of indigenous cultures.
A People’s Curriculum for the Earth,
  • ed. Bill Bigelow and Kim Swinehart. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools Publication, 2014
  • This educator’s toolkit offers a critical resource for teaching about climate change and the environmental challenges of our times.
Guide to Planet Earth
  • Art Sussman, San Francisco, CA: West Ed , 2000.
  • A superb primer on the web of life and the interconnection of earth’s physical and life systems. An excellent guide for those working with middle and high school students.
Doctor Art’s Guide to Science
  • Art Sussman, San Francisco, CA: West Ed , 2006.
  • An exploration of the primary ideas of science, this volume comes with an excellent DVD that models innovative ways to teach key scientific concepts.