Orientation to the SBAR Educator Partnership

Welcome to an overview of the SBAR (Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions) education partnership story. In this story map we will introduce you to newly developed 6-12 grade curricula and other educational resources for teachers and students on the topics of arid lands, science and engineering, and the connection to our local economies and quality of life. Our team consists of educators, graduate students, and university research scientists that are working together to advance innovative science and bring these exciting ideas and innovations into classrooms. We would to get your ideas about ways we can support your teaching around these important topics! Please complete the the information and sign-up form at the end of this story. We hope that you will consider joining us as an SBAR educator partner!

But first, the SBAR story. 

The Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions (SBAR) Center of Excellence was established in September 2017, with the intended purpose of developing a systems approach for producing sustainable crops that could produce economically viable bioproducts, improve the environment, and lead to a sustainable bioeconomy in Arizona and New Mexico. Two drought-tolerant crops are the focus of the research and trial planting in Arizona and New Mexico:  Guar  in New Mexico, and  Guayule  in Arizona. 

Read more about SBAR research by visiting our website here:    https://sbar.arizona.edu/research 

Water availability is declining in the southwest and calls for new strategies to support and maintain cities and rural economies. Crops that are drought and heat-tolerant provide economic benefits to communities and farmers and are becoming increasingly important. The Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions Project (SBAR) is a Department of Agriculture program funding over 100 scientists. These researchers conduct research related to agriculture and sustainable economies. SBAR also works with 6-12th grade educators, graduate students, and local agricultural extension offices to provide information and teaching resources on agriculture, arid lands, and emerging bioeconomies.

“By bringing together a diverse group of researchers, educators, and extension personnel to work on two crops, we are establishing a team that can effectively interact to answer questions relevant to building a bio-economy. The techniques developed through this project can be used to address any crop plant, thus helping to support and diversify agriculture in the arid southwestern United States.” ~Dr. Dennis T. Ray, SBAR Co-Principle Investigator, University of Arizona

SBAR researchers are working on crops that would benefit local economies and promote job creation while at the same time, address water use concerns amid warming temperatures in the Southwest. Maps are a great tool for thinking about land use, terrain, local economies, and culture and tradition. They are also a great educational tool for facilitating spatial reasoning skills and multi-dimensional thinking and problem-solving. 

In the map below you can explore they types of crops that are grown, topography, and the productivity of the soil for agriculture without irrigation—in its natural state. You can zoom in and zoom out, click on the layers symbol to show the map legend. Compare where you are with other regions in the state or across the US. 

• What do you notice about where and what crops are grown in your region?
• Compare your region with other regions in the state or across the US. 
• What are some of the reasons for these patterns?
• How can you incorporate these topics and locally relevant questions into your classroom? 

The topics and real world science applications of SBAR research connect to a wide array of science topics taught in middle and high school classrooms. The environmental challenges that are at the forefront of arid regions and that affect our economy, environmental quality, and future STEM career areas, are of great interest to researchers, farmers, policymakers and the people and communities of the Southwest. These themes connect to classroom STEM topics such as climate change, water, soil science, hands-on-labs, and career exploration. In this section we explore the ways our day-to-day lives as residents are being effected by increasing drought conditions. As students encounter news and current events related to arid lands environmental issues, SBAR educational content provides solution-oriented research and content that can be used to create real-world science and relevant local connections across many STEM topics. By partnering with the University of Arizona and New Mexico State University, you can connect to real-time SBAR science, scientists, and important knowledge that connects to students' communities and their futures.

These are real world problems for exploration by student scientists. How can these issues inform your STEM teaching?

A bioeconomy is an economy based on the production of renewable biological resources and the conversion of these resources into products, such as food, feed, products and bioenergy. This type of economic activity presents many opportunities to create jobs, improve the quality of life, and continue to drive economic growth.

• Careers in the emerging Bioeconomy:  Bioeconomy https://news.ncsu.edu/2019/02/emerging-opportunities-jobs-in-bioeconomy/ 

• What Is In The Bioeconomy Blueprint  https://www.azbio.org/what-is-in-the-bioeconomy-blueprint 

• Jobs & Economic Impact of a Billion-Ton Bioeconomy-US Dept of Energy  https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/06/f35/jobs_and_economic_impact_of_a_billion_ton_bioeconomy.pdf 

The Indigenous peoples of the southwest have a rich and sustaining knowledge and practice of agriculture and plant harvesting. These traditional practices inform current agriculture strategies to minimize impact on the environment and to adjust to drought and a warmer climate (Fraser et al.  2015 ). One of the crops that is a focus of SBAR research, Guayule, is a plant that is native to the Chichuahuan Desert which encompasses the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Guayule has been cultivated in areas where the annual rainfall ranges between 14 and 25 inches. A native plant that produces natural latex and can be used for newly emerging bioproducts, this crop represents the effectiveness of traditional agricultural methods used Indigenous cultures in Arizona and New Mexico. These traditional practices include the use of drought-tolerant local varieties, polyculture (more than one species is grown at the same time and place) , agroforestry where woody plants (trees, shrubs, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land as agricultural crops and/or animals, water harvesting, and soil conservation practices (Altieri and Nicholls  2008 ; Chhetri et al.  2012 ). SBAR educators are developing classroom lessons and activities that highlight the wisdom and continuing practices of Indigenous communities in our region.

• Further Reading: The Hohokam: Canal Masters of the American Southwest:  Link  

The SBAR education team would love to partner with you in your classroom. Along with lessons, tutorials, and interactive activities, we have an amazing group of graduate students (SBAR Fellows) that can work with your classroom to provide guest presentations, assist with lesson/activities research and development, and more!  

 SBAR Lessons 

 SBAR-Classroom Connections:  A video by one of our SBAR Educators, Jaime Camero, 6th grade Science Teacher discussing the ways she connected themes of sustainability, agriculture, and arid lands in her science teaching.

Support for Educators

• Small grants will be available to support educators with supplies, equipment, and transportation costs related to field trips
• Graduate students (SBAR Fellows) can partner with educators to provide presentations and lab activities via online technologies or in-person, conduct research and adapt lessons as needed by educators, and work with educators to develop tools, resources and other learning materials.

To find out more about working with SBAR lessons and materials and to find out about opportunities for collaboration please visit the  UA SBAR Website  and/or contact Torran Anderson at torrananderson@email.arizona.edu.