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Canada has taken a progressive lead with a nationwide program to educate
its citizens about sustainable development. As part of that country's
"Green Program," a new thought provoking video for high school students
gives a thorough introduction to modern agricultural practices, raising
issues about which most urban food buyers remain blissfully ignorant. From
the Ground Up, a half hour film from the Canadian firm Green & Growing,
may not provide easy answers, but it will help enlighten the next
generation of food buyers. 

Two farmers are prominently featured - a conventional large scale wheat
grower and a small, diversified organic farmer - and their practices are
compared from a number of angles. Background information on erosion,
pesticides, soil biology and other basic topics are thoroughly discussed.
Subtler issues are raised as well, including the propensity to emphasize
cosmetic appearance to sell food, labor issues, and the connection between
economic health and sustainable systems. Perhaps most importantly, the
message of personal responsibility is stressed: "It's up to all of us to
work together to make changes. We need to know where our food comes from
and how it's grown to make agriculture become sustainable." 

An accompanying teacher's guide includes more detailed lessons. It uses
Canadian examples, making it slightly off the mark for American students,
but an energetic teacher could easily search out local sources and facts.
Better yet, let's hope a homegrown video rises to the Canadian challenge.
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