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Hopi Dryland Farming: Growing Corn With Rainfall in the Desert

Provided by: The Kid Should See This |Published on: May 24, 2022

Honors Deep Community KnowledgeArticles/Websites Grades

Synopsis

This video and article investigates the sustainable farming practices of a Hopi dryland farmer growing corn in the Arizona desert using only rainfall.
Dr. Johnson explains how Hopi traditional farming practices that are passed down from generation to generation can improve current agricultural practices throughout the United States.

Share: This lesson plan is licensed under Creative Commons.

Subjects: SS, BIO

Authors: The Kid Should See This, Arizona State Museum

Region: North America, USA - West, United States, Arizona

Positives

This resource is a great way for students to learn more about the culture of the Hopi people.
It shows how traditional farming practices can provide sustainable food, even in deserts.

Additional Prerequisites

Differentiation

After watching, consider comparing Dr. Johnson's culturally-based farming practices with the practices of industrial farmers. Help students identify what makes them different and why Dr. Johnson's methods may be more sustainable and beneficial.
History classes could use this resource as part of a unit investigating the history of Indigenous people and the importance of cultural knowledge.
Use this video to introduce topics such as droughts, the effects of climate change on plants, sustainability, and regenerative agriculture in science classes.
Other related resources include this video about the sustainable forestry practices of the Menominee people, this video about Indigenous communities and climate change, and this lesson plan about Indigenous communities and the environment.

Framework for Shifting Paradigms in Climate Education

This resource exemplifies the Honors Deep Community Knowledge Key Focus Area.

Core Component 1: Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Holistic Understanding
- In this video, Hopi farmer and scholar, Dr. Michael Kotuwa Johnson, explains how traditional Hopi farming methods allow farmers to grow corn and other crops in an environment that Western farmers would consider very challenging. Dr. Johnson explains how he relies on traditional ecological knowledge, like planting corn deeply in an arid environment so the roots can reach water underground. Students build a holistic understanding of how traditional ecological knowledge can help us create more sustainable food systems.
Core Component 2: Cultural Respect and Collaboration in Global Education
- Dr. Johnson teaches students how “culturally-based agriculture” is grounded in culture instead of economics. The Hopi grow only what they need and work hard to maintain smaller crops and prevent waste.
Core Component 3: Integrating Indigenous Perspectives through Interdisciplinary Arts and Literature
- Students learn how Hopi architecture and crop design work with the environment instead of against it. Students learn how this cultural perspective means that Hopi farmers can produce the food they need without damaging or destroying the environment.

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