Ag from Above x Ag for All (AFA2) is aimed at sparking interest in food and agriculture among teenagers by using cutting-edge drone and mapping technologies. By blending hands-on activities with real-world applications, AFA2 empowers young people to explore the science behind agriculture in fun and meaningful ways. AFA2 is not just about teaching technology—it's about using that technology to make a real difference in communities and ensuring that the next generation of agricultural scientists and leaders is diverse, skilled, and ready to take on the challenges of the future.
We are developing, testing, and evaluating two curricula targeting teenagers aged 13 to 18 years old.
- SkyMappers: Agricultural Drones and GIS Mastery
The curriculum contains a sequence of 14 lessons (25-hours) that move youth from drone fundamentals to capstone application. Lessons cover equipment and setup, safe and legal operations, airspace and chart reading, crew resource management, flight planning, manual and autonomous flight, image capture for mapping, data processing and visualization in ArcGIS, and data ethics. We pilot tested the curriculum at 3 4-H drone camps in summer 2025 and are in the process of revising lessons based on feedback.- Lesson 01: Build Your Fleet: Drone Types, Payloads, and Purpose
- Lesson 02: Your Flight Path: Discovering Drone-Powered Jobs
- Lesson 03: Get to Know Your Gear – Drone Equipment & Setup
- Lesson 04: Drone Rules & Responsible Flight
- Lesson 05: Sky Rules: Reading Airspace Charts
- Lesson 06: Team in Flight: Crew Resource Management
- Lesson 07: Flight Check – TRUST Certification
- Lesson 08: Clear Skies Ahead: Drone Flight Day
- Lesson 09: Turning Flight into Insight – Intro to Drone Data Processing
- Lesson 10: Mapping the World with Esri’s ArcGIS and Drone2Map
- Lesson 11: Autonomy Begins on the Ground: Mission Planning & Safety
- Lesson 12: Conducting the Autonomous Flight
- Lesson 13: Data Ethics and Culturally Responsive Mapping
- Lesson 14: Youth-Driven Projects
- Dronovation: Cultivating Change with Teens
This curriculum will be for intermediate/advanced teens who have experience, to complete a real-world project in which teams design, test, and communicate a drone-enabled solution for an agricultural or land-stewardship issue. We are developing this curriculum now and will pilot test in summer 2026.
The future of farming and food production will increasingly rely on technology. By engaging young people with drones and GIS, AFA2 aims to build their scientific literacy and interest in agriculture, while also preparing them for future careers in these vital fields. Additionally, by focusing on food justice and culturally relevant learning, we aim to empower all young people to see themselves as future leaders in science and agriculture.
Newsletter
Partners
University of California's Cooperative Extension, 4-H Youth Development Program, Informatics and GIS Program, the UC Santa Cruz CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research, and the UC Davis AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems.
- PI: Steven Worker, 4-H Youth Development Advisor (Sonoma)
- Co-PI: Nathaniel Caeton, 4-H Youth Development Advisor (Shasta)
- Co-PI: Matthew Rodriguez, 4-H Youth Development Advisor (Placer)
- Co-PI: Andy Lyons, IGIS Program Coordinator (UC Berkeley)
- Co-PI: Sean Hogan, IGIS Academic Coordinator (Davis)
- Collaborator: Flavie Audoin, Rangeland Management Extension Specialist (Univ. of Arizona)
- Collaborator: Lucy Diekmann, Urban Agriculture/Food System Advisor (Santa Clara)
- Collaborator: Becca Fenwick, Director, CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research (UCSC)
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program, award #2024-68018-42793. The findings and conclusions in this program have not been formally disseminated by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.
Project Materials
PROMOTION
- Drone Camps to Help Teens’ Interest in Science Take Off in Morning AgClips, June 9, 2025
Youth Drone Academies
Summer 2025, 50 teenagers discussed, debated, and reflected on legal and ethical uses of drone imagery as one of fourteen lessons from the new 4-H curriculum, SkyMappers: Agricultural Drones and GIS Mastery. Teens learned to safely fly drones, capture aerial images, process data, and use GIS mapping software. Through hands-on activities and teamwork, they explore topics like crop health, livestock monitoring, and food justice, while developing STEM skills that prepare them for future careers in agriculture, technology, and environmental science.
