High School Students Perceptions and Knowledge about Agriculture based upon Location of the High School

摘要

The Oxford English Dictionary defines agriculture as "the science and art of cultivating the soil; including the allied pursuits of gathering in the crops and rearing livestock; tillage, husbandry, [and] farming (in the widest sense)". This study usesthe word "farming" synonymously with "agriculture." The purpose of this study is to explore how a young person's perception of agriculture is affected by his or her environment and education. Three high schools within a twenty mile radius of Cornell University were surveyed, including both "urban" (19,859 people) and rural populations. Rural populations were represented by a school with an agricultural science program as well as a school without. High School students were surveyed specifically on their knowledge and perceptions of farming in New York.