2014 is the fourth year of the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity (UNDB) and two International Years can have links to it:
I have set up another website to develop educational resources for the IYFF more fully there, and especially a focus on first hand experiences of family farming in its diversity. Visit enviroed4all’s family farm snapshots
My series of articles on Biodiversity activities in the Home Education Network’s magazine Otherways, followed on the Shape Sleuth concepts into 2014 with the focus in the first two editions on the Small Island Developing States and family farming added into the second half of the year’s editions.
from shape sleuths to island sleuths (issue 139) introduced the IY SIDS , following the importance of shape as a learning tool, and using it for Maths and Geography mainly. Instructions on how to measure coastlines were included and ideas for exploring the SIDS theme “Island Voices, global choices”
island sleuthing : from floods to food (issue 140) used the recent flood disaster in the Solomon Islands to see what could be learnt about the often less reported effects of floods, especially on food. Along the way, sleuthing involved a journey simulation, discovering the landform and hunting for local plant life that reflect biodiversity in food plants.
Sleuth into Food Growing for Families (issue 141) asked why grow food at home and how gardening is different to farming. It then focussed on the IYFamily Farming as a global activity and used clues from web articles on Honiara to be able to describe the nature of family farming there Feeding their world, caring for their Earth in the Solomons.
Sustainability Sleuthing (issue 142) continued on to see how family farming could show island voices, global choices for sustainability. It took 3 key food security questions from the September 2014 SIDS conference in Samoa and asked what answers for food security they would give in a home. Then Samoan island family farming was used as an example of what can be done towards sustainability, food security and living in harmony with nature to tie the two 2014 IY’s into the UNDB.
return to list of environmental articles by IY in Otherways from 2010 – present
move on to Family Farmer website
latest update 8/12/2014
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