To Farm or Not to Farm
Provided by: Columbia Climate School International Research Institute for Climate and Society|Published on: November 7, 2022|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Biology, Economics, English Language Arts
Authors: Columbia Climate School International Research Institute for Climate and Society
Location: Earth
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This lesson plan has students take on the role of a farmer to decide if they should plant their crops when given differing weather conditions and economic situations.
- Students will learn about the impacts of drought, crop insurance, local economic impacts, and other factors affecting farming decisions.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This lesson includes an engaging activity that will spark conversations.
- Students will learn about how drought can impact a farm and what decisions farmers can make to lessen those impacts.
- Teachers can use this student-facing presentation to give students visual support during the lesson.
Additional Prerequisites
- In order to complete this activity, you will need a container, different colored markers, tokens, and playing cards.
Differentiation
- This lesson would work well in science or economics classes, but cross-curricular connections can also be made in health classes that are discussing the origins of healthy foods.
- Before starting this lesson, have students jot down or share what they know about farms, drought, and index insurance. After playing, revisit this conversation to talk about how their understanding changed.
- Social studies classes can discuss how farmers in other countries may have to make different decisions if they do not have insurance available.
- Have students think about how climate change may make insurance unavailable for everyone if extreme weather events occur more frequently.
This guide allows students to understand and evaluate climate risk on agricultural production and recommend strategic ways for farmers to reduce risk and potential losses associated with climate change impacts while also strengthening their capacity to boost farm income under a changing climate. All additional materials and data sources have been fact-checked, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
