Sustainable agriculture as a topic of biology education for sustainable development

Sustainable agriculture is connected to many Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2, 6, 12, 13, 15) and encompasses different biological processes and procedures that are networked with one another. At the same time, sustainable agriculture links the ecological, social, and economic dimension of sustainability. In contrast to this role of sustainable agriculture, there is only scarce understanding about how students perceive these connections, particularly from the perspective of biology education. Within the present study, we used qualitative interviews to investigate (1) students’ understanding of biological components of sustainable agriculture, (2) their evaluation of the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of these components, and (3) their personal connection towards sustainable agriculture. The students from the German 10th grade reported close links especially of climate change to sustainable agriculture, but also mentioned issues of animal husbandry and biodiversity. Sustainable agriculture in its dimensions is basically perceived as an improvement compared to the current agriculture, with a focus on the ecological dimension. The students’ consumer behaviour and the aspect of health were the most frequently mentioned aspects in terms of sustainable agriculture referring to their own life. The results give insight into possible areas for the further development of educational materials and further integration of sustainable agriculture as a topic for biology education for sustainable development.