Study material refers to pesticide use as ‘carpet bombing’
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
A farmer and concerned parent took to social media to express concern over material found in his child’s geography homework.
Crosby Devitt, a cash crop producer and vice-president of Grain Farmers of Ontario, posted photos on Twitter from his son’s grade 8 textbook, which appears to paint agriculture in a negative light.
One caption from the unidentified textbook’s unit on patterns in human geography says that “large-scale, highly mechanized agribusiness may not be the most beneficial way to farm in all parts of the world.”
Another caption referred to aerial pesticide applications in a similar manner to military operations.
“(I’m) shocked by the anti-farming content in my son’s grade 8 geography textbook,” Devitt wrote on Twitter yesterday. “They call (aerial) pesticide use ‘carpet bombing.’”
Devitt’s post sparked conversation within the ag community, with some producers sharing their experiences with educators.
“I had to go to the school and call them out on a similar topic involving beef,” Dale Mountjoy, a beef and cash crop farmer from Durham County, wrote in response to Devitt’s post.
These instances reaffirm the province’s need for proper agricultural education, according to Colleen Smith, executive director of AgScape.
“In our education system, teachers can use which resources they want to use to get a lesson across to their students,” she told Farms.com today. “That’s not mandated by the Ministry of Education so we don’t even have the opportunity to see the textbooks before they’re handed out to students. So it’s difficult for us to know these kinds of things are happening until they surface.”
There are approximately 4,000 elementary schools in Ontario and most students in grade 8 are generally between 13 and 14 years old. These students may begin to think about career choices as they move into high school. If misinformation about agriculture isn’t challenged, it could impact the future of the industry, Smith said.
“Student influencers are usually parents and peer groups,” she said. “There may be some shaming going (on) if you want to go into a career that allows pesticide carpet bombing. I think schools have an obligation to research and provide alternative input.”
Top photo: temmuzcan/iStock/Getty Images Plus