Ag in the Classroom

San Diego County Ag in the Classroom (SDAITC) a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, was launched in 1996 by agriculturalists wanting to advance ag literacy for students in San Diego County. Over the past decade, SDAITC and its partners have been responsible for introducing a variety of comprehensive programs throughout the county.

Ag in the Classroom is all about the kids, their education, and the future of agriculture. The sooner we expose our children's natural curiosity to the wonder of soils, plants, water, and animals the better chance we have to develop good stewards of the land who will respect the work of the farm. SDAITC does just that, by providing teachers with the tools they need to educate our youth on the importance of agriculture in our community.

AITC in Action

Over the last 13 years, San Diego County Ag in the Classroom and its partners have launched and supported the following agriculture-related programs benefiting local education:

The Annual Fall Teacher’s Conference - a one-day event at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for county educators to tour a variety of farming facilities to see agriculture in action, review curricula offered in other schools, and inspire teachers to adopt an ag program in their classrooms.

Scholarships for elementary teachers in San Diego County to attend the annual California Foundation for Ag in the Classroom Teacher’s Seminar that teaches teachers how to bring the agriculture curriculum into their classroom.

The Green Machine, a K-4 “seed to table” mobile agriculture program that makes “school calls” with a van equipped with interactive in-class activities to demonstrate where our food comes from.

Adopt-a-School, which pairs farmers with local school garden programs.

Farmers@School, where elementary student teams shoot and produce short videos using agricultural exhibits at the San Diego County Fair and submit the video to the San Diego Office of Education’s annual iVIE (Innovative Video in Education) program where they can win technology gifts for their schools.

Garden grants to school teachers who have successfully integrated a school garden and agriculture into their curriculum.

With public financial support, future SDAITC plans include developing an Internet-based agriculture curriculum certified by the state and accessible in every classroom that delivers agriculture via technology to every student.