This video from Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell compares the nutrition and environmental impact of organic farming to conventional farming.
It answers common questions about organic produce and concludes that the viewer should eat more seasonal fruits and vegetables from local sources, regardless of the organic status.
Teaching Tips
Positives
It presents the material with engaging and entertaining animation.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with the terms sewage sludge, synthetic, pesticides, and fertilizers.
There are commercials and pop-up ads before and during the video.
For more information about the organic label and the number of acres used for organic farming, visit the USDA's website.
The video does not compare the government subsidies given to conventional farms vs. organic farms, which impacts the retail prices.
Differentiation
Science classes could research the prevalence of air and water pollution from conventional and herbicide-tolerant or pesticide-producing GMO farming activities and the lack of seed diversity in conventional farming that could impact global food supplies.
Civics and ethics classes could research the patenting of seeds and how this may affect small-scale farmers around the world.
Economics classes can use this video to discuss the demand for organic produce and the influence it has on agricultural land use and the global food system.
The resource gives detailed analysis on the dichotomy between organic and conventional food productions and the impact on human health and the environment, including the pros and cons using both methods. Additional sources and data are valid. Hence, this resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
HS-ESS3-4 Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Economics
D2.Eco.3.9-12 Analyze the ways in which incentives influence what is produced and distributed in a market system.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
