CULTIVATING CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION THROUGH COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING

Abstract

As we press forward into the new millennium, agricultural educators across the country are continuing their quest to reshape agricultural education, to develop new approaches to teaching and learning that are more appropriate and effective for the 21st century. Our rapidly changing world demands an agricultural education system that equips children with the tools and skills they will need to succeed in a multicultural democracy. While many initiatives within agricultural education (e.g., National Research Council, 1988; National Council for Agricultural Education, 2000) have addressed the need to advance agricultural education in public schools, much work is still needed. Community-based service-learning may hold the key to connecting future generations with their diverse communities and democratic society at large. The purpose of this article was to outline the extent to which service-learning can advance cultural competence within agricultural education.