Innovation in Education: About the New Subject “Climate Change in Agriculture” from the Pupils’ Perspective

From 2023/24 school year, a new elective subject "Climate Change in Agriculture" is being offered in five pilot agricultural high schools in Serbia. This innovative curriculum is designed with a primary goal of educating future agriculture specialists and producers about the impact of climate change on various agricultural sectors and to acquire necessary knowledge and skills for a better understanding of food production systems through formal education.

During our visit to the demo center at the "Dr. Đorđe Radić" High School of Chemistry and Agriculture in Kraljevo, we spoke to Luka Savić and Vera Šebović, second-year pupils who are currently listening to the new elective subject.

"Within the subject "Climate Change in Agriculture", we studied the concepts of climate and weather, the occurrence of extreme events and natural disasters," said Luka at the very beginning.

Vera and Luka added that they marked the World Food Day and the World Climate Change Day as a part of the curriculum. For these international anniversaries, they prepared presentations, posters, and informative lectures on relevant concepts, and later, they conducted peer education, where together with their classmates, they presented their work to the fourth-year pupils. This way, they wanted to bring climate change closer to the other students at their school who were not offered the new elective subject.

"We learned about the effects of climate change on the agricultural production, as well as the adaptation measures to climate change. We were present at a practice where the adaptation measures were applied, where we sowed red clover in a crop of wheat or a grass mixture. In addition, we learned how to use and how to handle the meteorological station that is located within the school premises, to read data from it and thereby improve our plant production," explained Luka.

Vera was familiar with the concept and the impact of climate change before opting to take this elective subject and she explained to us that she decided to choose it because of the broader relevance of the topic that was of interest to her. "I think the subject is very interesting and useful, and the most interesting part for me is the practical part," said Vera.

The new subject is crucial not only because it offers information to a new generation of agricultural professionals and producers about the challenges that climate change causes in agricultural production, but also because it can inspire young people to raise awareness about this important topic in their communities and surroundings.

The introduction of this subject in the curriculum of agricultural schools is part of a wider initiative to strengthen the capacity of young agricultural producers and professionals within the “Strengthening Disaster Resilience in Agriculture” project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia. The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia, the Institute for the Advancement of Education and Upbringing the Association "Young Researchers of Serbia" contributed to the realization of this subject and the training of teachers.

Photos: FAO/Emilija Marić