THE FARM IS AN ECOSYSTEM
Educator Lesson Plan
BACKGROUND
An ecosystem is a group of organisms, living and nonliving, and the physical
environment in which they interact and transfer energy. The difference between
the farm ecosystem and other ecosystems is that humans control most of the
interactions on the farm. They work to improve and build soil, reduce erosion,
protect water quality, and increase the quality of the habitats for their animals.
When parts of the farm ecosystem change or are out of balance, the farm is not
able to produce as high a quantity or quality of food. Farmers need to know how
the things on their farms interact in order to make choices about how to raise their
crops and animals.
The following items are most crucial to the farm ecosystem.
• sunlight • air • water • soil • plants • livestock • decomposers • insects • farmer
Could the farm survive without any of these parts?
Plants cannot survive without sunlight and water. Livestock and insects will also
not survive without water, and all three depend on components of the air. Some
plants can be produced without soil (hydroponics and aquaponics) as long as they
have a source of nutrients, but most require soil to hold their roots. Those roots, in
turn, keep the soil in place and prevent erosion. Plants adapted to a particular
climate grow best! Different soils contribute to a diverse mix of plants and animals
that call the soil their home. Soil is alive! One teaspoon of soil holds more life in it
than all of the humans that have ever lived! Since plants are the only organisms
that make their own food, animals would not survive without plants. Even
secondary consumers (animals that eat animals) could not survive without a
previous food source that ate plants. While there are pests that make food
production difficult, beneficial insects and pollinators, like bees and butterflies, are
necessary for the reproduction of 90% of our world’s flowering plants. At least 150 of
those plants are food crops. Some people say that animals are not needed in the
farm ecosystem, as not all farmers raise livestock, but animal waste is an important
nutrient source for plants so including animals on a farm is a big part of
regenerative agriculture practices. Grazing animals are also able to digest plants
that humans cannot which allows farmers to grow food on land not suitable for
fruit and vegetable production. Decomposers break down waste that collects on
the earth and turns it into material that is used by plants. The farmer is an
important part of the farm ecosystem, as he or she controls what happens to grow
food and care for the land. Before humans learned to farm, they hunted and
gathered what was around them. When the available food went down, they
traveled to a new location. Once humans learned to farm and manage animals,
they were able to stay in one place, and communities grew. Today’s farmers, of
which there are fewer and fewer as time progresses, work to grow food with fewer
The Farm is an Ecosystem 1
resources. They have to watch each part of the ecosystem to make sure the farm
has what it needs to survive.
There are many techniques farmers can use to protect agricultural ecosystems,
including managing water wisely; building and maintaining healthy soil;
minimizing air, water, and climate pollution; and promoting biodiversity.
Regenerative agriculture is related to practices and methods that are economically
profitable, environmentally sustainable, and good for society. Regenerative farming
practices include rotating crops, planting cover crops, reducing or eliminating
tillage, applying integrated pest management (IPM), integrating livestock and
crops, adopting agroforestry practices, and managing whole systems in a closed
loop.
How well farmers care for soil, climate, water, biodiversity and other aspects of
ecosystems can greatly influence a community’s food supply.
● In certain parts of the world throughout every era, overplowing,
deforestation and other forms of soil mismanagement have turned fertile
land to arid wasteland. Learn more at National Geographic.
● Farming practices that erode fertile soil persist to this day, even after the
Dust Bowl caused massive crop failures, hunger and poverty across the
Midwestern United States less than a century ago. Learn more with this
Newsela article.
● Agriculture practices that are not regenerative, contribute massively to
global pollution. Learn more here.
BUT: Regenerative agriculture is the solution!
KEY VOCABULARY:
ECOSYSTEM: Earth system where living and non-living chemical and physical parts
interact.
BIOTIC: the living things in an ecosystem. They may also be called ORGANISMS.
ABIOTIC: the non-living things in an ecosystem, which includes rocks, water, sun,
air, and weather. This could also include HABITAT, a place where organisms live,
whether natural or man-made.
PRODUCER (AUTOTROPH): An organism that can make its own food.
CONSUMER (HETEROTROPH): An organism that obtains energy by feeding on
other organisms.
HERBIVORE: A consumer that typically only eats plants.
CARNIVORE: A consumer that typically only eats animals.
OMNIVORE: A consumer that typically eats both plants and animals.
DECOMPOSER: An organism that will feed on and/or absorb nutrients from dead
organisms.
SYMBIOSIS: a relationship where two organisms live together and may or may not
benefit.
MUTUALISM - a relationship where both organisms benefit.
The Farm is an Ecosystem 2
PARASITISM - a relationship where one organism benefits (PARASITE) and the
other (HOST) is harmed.
COMMENSALISM - a relationship where one organism benefits and the other is
unaffected.
Standards Addressed:
● NGSS: LS4-3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular
habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some
cannot survive at all.
● NGSS: LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused
when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that
live there may change.
● NGSS:LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among
plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
● NGSS: MS-LS2-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the
effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in
an ecosystem
ENGAGE
Building a Web of Connections:
Materials for Activity: Large ball of yarn
This activity makes visible and tangible some of the web of connection that unites
and integrates us, the farm and the ecosystems we inhabit.
Have all participants sit in a circle.
SAY: Let's think of this web of yarn not so much as a spider's web, but rather as the
parts of the farm that make a whole. All of us are grounded in the particulars of our
own lives, but all of us have roots, needs and wants that intertwine with those of
others. These interconnected parts give us strength, support and a sense of
belonging that empowers us to live and act in the world.
DO: Wrap the end of the yarn around your wrist. Students will then share one fact
about themselves. (Example: "I have a dog.") Anyone else for whom that fact is also
true will raise their hand (connected to the yarn), and the ball of yarn is tossed
around to each of them. Each person who receives the ball of yarn will wrap the
yarn around their wrist before tossing the yarn to another person who shares that
trait in common. If no other person shares that trait, the person holding the yarn
may choose another person in the circle to whom to throw the ball of yarn.
The Farm is an Ecosystem 3
DISCUSS: To Notice - How thick and integrated the web gets. The ‘tug’ of
connection as the yarn is tossed.
DO: Have one student remove the yarn from their wrist. Everyone else in the circle
must pull backwards to try to pick up the slack it creates. Repeat a few times if
necessary to show how when one part of an ecosystem is removed, it affects all
other parts.
DISCUSS: To Notice - This activity, just like the many fragile ecosystems on the
earth and even on a farm, depends upon many parts fulfilling their role. Lead the
discussion as time allows to discuss how the sun, soil, air, insects, plants and
animals each play a critical role in the farm ecosystem.
EXPLORE
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
ON-FARM ACTIVITIES
Option 1: Choose one of the activities
from this excellent guidebook that fits
the age and interests of your learners.
Option 2: Schoolyard Ecosystem
Scavenger Hunt
Farm Ecosystem Scavenger Hunt or a
variation in which students simply make
a list of ecological services or items they
find on the farm. Follow up with a group
discussion of how interconnected all
aspects of the farm are.
EXPLAIN
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
ON-FARM ACTIVITIES
KWL & Video Exploration
1. Have students complete a K-W-L
chart about ecosystems at large.
They should focus on the “Know”
part of the chart for now.
2. Show this video and have
students add notes about what
they “Learn” to their chart.
3. Have students think about what
they “Want to Know” about farm
ecosystems in particular.
4. Show this video and have
students add notes about what
they “Learn” to their chart.
Farm Walk-About to discuss the role
each feature on the farm plays in the
farm ecosystem. Focus on:
● Chicken coops + their manure
● Compost systems + decomposers
● No-Till beds + soil ecosystems
● Berms & Swales garden +
stormwater runoff/ deep roots/
native plant benefits
● Purple Martin birdhouse & Bee
Hives + ecologically beneficial
pollinators
● Intercropping in the orchard
● Tomato hornworm + parasitic
The Farm is an Ecosystem 4
a. Note: SARE has a playlist of
numerous ecologically
responsible ag practices to
explore if learners want to
dig deeper.
5. Show this video of Ryan Tenney of
Sankara Farms in KCMO talking
about how farms are ecosystems.
6. Group discussion about key
points learned and what they
want to learn more about
(questions remaining). Questions
may be sent to
info@kcfarmschool.org and will
be answered promptly! (Please
compile all questions into one
document for a prompt reply.)
wasps as an example of parasitic
symbiosis that is helpful to
farmers
● Squash bugs as an example of a
parasite that is not helpful to
farmers + IPM practices
● Hugelkultur bed
● Greenhouse ecosystem tour
● Rain garden + water conservation
● Three sisters garden +
intercropping
● Perennial flower planting +
beneficial pollinators and habitat
● Wildland playground +
decomposers
● Leaf mulching + water
conservation + decomposers
● Biodiversity of field to increase
yield and decrease IPM needs
ELABORATE
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
ON-FARM ACTIVITIES
Option 1: Farming for Ecosystem
Services NSTA Activity (MS & HS)
● Slideshow
● Link to game & full lesson
Option 2: Growing Common Ground:
The Challenge
● Multi-week project to design a
land use plan using ecologically
sustainable practices for the 11
acre farm- Common Ground.
Option 1: On-Farm Ecosystem
Improvement
● Students will engage in an
on-farm, hands-on activity to
improve the farm ecosystem and
be able to iterate the ecological
service it provides. Activities will
be based upon the season and
farm needs but may include:
○ Crop plantings
○ Pollinator house builds
○ Hugelkultur planting
○ Compost bin builds
Option 2: Common Ground Tour and
planning using the “Growing Common
Ground: The Challenge” framework.
EVALUATE
Have students complete the Education Survey found here or via QR code
The Farm is an Ecosystem 5
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of
Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number
2020-38640-31522 through the North Central Region SARE program under project
number YENC21-169. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this
publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
References:
www.kyagr.com
The Farm is an Ecosystem 6
