Quick Guide to the Fearless Farmers Eco-Literacy Program
For centuries, humanity has shaped its environment to meet its needs. Instead of recognizing our place as a small part of a whole, we are taught to see ourselves as standing above and apart. This disconnect has led us to treat the natural world as a resource to exploit, resulting in global challenges like climate change, land degradation, soil depletion, and water pollution.
To heal ourselves and our relationship with our land, we must unlearn old habits and adopt regenerative practices—the reason why Fearless Farmers exists. Our Fearless Farmers Eco-literacy Program is designed to build a strong foundation in regenerative agriculture and empower learners with the tools to bring this practice to their communities. We welcome one and all, as this course has been developed to accommodate individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
In this blog, we'll guide you through our flagship course sharing what you'll learn as you progress week over week.
Our Eco-Literacy Program Structure
The Fearless Farmer programs offer you a unique blend of online and hands-on learning for an immersive experience. Whether you're a teacher looking to introduce regenerative farming to your students or a seasoned farmer interested in bringing educational tourism to your community, our eco-literacy program is perfect for you.
Our place-based curriculum has been designed by experts specializing in education, ecology, hands-on learning, and agriculture, and allows you to adapt its content to suit your community’s needs.
The Eco-Literacy programs are offered asynchronously, so you can take the time to experience the modules at your own pace. Here’s an outline of what you can expect:
Self-Guided Learning
Through each module, you'll delve deeper into the concepts with self-guided learning. This involves up to four hours of reading articles, watching recorded activities, listening to carefully chosen interviews with field experts, along with engaging in relevant session-related activities. You will also prepare lesson plans and work consistently on creating a portfolio for putting the Fearless Farmers Curriculum into practice!
Time for Reflection
We believe it’s crucial to pause and reflect on understanding your "why". So each week we pose a different guiding question to reflect on to deepen your connection with your personal motivation and creativity. This will not only help you connect with the program more deeply but also teach your students or community in a way that’s unique to you.
An Experience
Throughout the course, you'll be offered various experiences that complement your learning. This might include interactive sessions with guest speakers, activities to be done on your own, or even visits to local experts in your community for direct learning.
Additionally, we create space and encourage you to connect with fellow participants in your cohort. This is a great opportunity to learn from and support each other throughout your regenerative journey.
What You'll Learn: A Session-by-Session Eco-Literacy Journey
Each weekly session is centered around a specific aspect of regenerative farming and accompanied by guiding questions that relate to the topic. These questions are intended to stimulate discussion among participants, helping them connect the knowledge and reflect on their personal motivations.
Collectively, these guiding questions create a meaningful thread that links each module and the curriculum as a whole, allowing participants to make their learning experience all their own. Here's a look into the guiding questions for each week:
Session 1: How does who/where you are influence what you teach?
The first session focuses on the significance of place-based education. These questions explore the value of tailoring our teaching to the needs of our communities and sharing it in a way that is authentic to us. Exploring these topics early on in the program paves the way for a stronger connection with the course and encourages you to bring your own creativity into your approach.
Session 2: What does it mean to farm/teach regeneratively?
Regenerative agriculture is much more than simply a set of farming techniques; it's a mindset that helps us honor the intricate interconnections of it all - from our land, soil, water, and trees, to all living beings. This is why this session focuses on taking a holistic approach to both growing as well as teaching.
Session 3: What is the soil food web, and why should I care?
After reflecting on how our values influence our approach to teaching regenerative practices, we now ground ourselves by forging a connection with the soil that nourishes us. These questions help us to see our soil as a rich and complex entity teeming with life, and the role it plays in our lives.
Session 4: What is dirt worth?
Growing up, most of us are taught to perceive dirt as something of little inherent value, and this session encourages us to reexamine these ingrained beliefs. The above questions challenge and change perspective, from perceiving soil merely for its commercial worth to acknowledging its intricate role as the very bedrock of life.
Session 5: What gives you hope?
In the face of challenges such as climate change, widespread pollution, and land degradation, it can be easy to get disheartened. That’s why this session is dedicated to linking our heads, hearts, and hands! We invite you to imagine a better future and take strength from your own ‘why’ that continues to inspire you even in the face of challenges.
Session 6: What role do I want to play in my community?
The power of regenerative agriculture can manifest in various ways for different individuals. This is why we encourage you to think about how you wish to engage in regenerative farming within your own community - and what you define as ‘your community’. Each answer is unique and equally valid, and your response will offer clarity on your regenerative journey and guide you in effectively applying this knowledge to benefit your community.
Session 7: What is the role of livestock in regenerating soil?
For ages, agriculture and livestock have shared a deep connection. In this session, we talk about transitioning to a mindset of community with our environment and our livestock from the conventional mindset of control. We explore our symbiotic relationship and how livestock plays an essential part in safeguarding crops and revitalizing soil health.
Session 8: What is mutual care? Who is caring for whom?
Renowned Native American botanist and educator, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, shares, "All flourishing is mutual." In our eighth session, we focus our attention on this important concept by exploring the nature of cooperative relationships. We offer reflections and examples of how we can use gratitude, empathy, and compassion in our interactions with livestock.
Session 9: If you are what you eat, then what are you?
In this session, we explore the farm-to-table philosophy and the importance of choosing foods that truly nourish us. We also explore the role of regeneratively grown food in enhancing not only our own health but also our community’s overall well-being.
Session 10: How do we get there from here?
In our final session, we bring together all our insights and discuss how best we can put our knowledge into practice. Healing the Earth might seem like a daunting task, but there is strength in knowledge and numbers. Nothing is impossible when passionate communities come together for change!
Join the Regenerative Agriculture Movement With the Fearless Farmers Eco-Literacy Program
As seasoned regenerative farmers, senior educators, and domain experts, we've designed our program with hands-on experience and lots of heart. Our in-depth, interactive approach sets us apart from other eco-literacy programs because once you join our program, you become part of the Fearless Farmer network. We take pride in building an ongoing relationship with students through continuous mentorship and support.
If you resonate with our goal to build resilient, sustainable food systems and communities, we invite you to learn more and join our upcoming program.