Sustainability through STEM and STEAM Education Creating Links with the Land for the Improvement of the Rural World

Abstract

Rural environment is suffering from serious problems, as reflected in the term “Empty Spain”. One of these problems is the pronounced depopulation that rural areas suffer in our time, so creating links with the land thanks to education is of great interest for, among other things, establishing population in rural areas. Interdisciplinary education becomes relevant today as the necessary education in our current world capable of providing answers and solutions to the social demands of our time. Interdisciplinary STEM education had the United States of America as its cradle in the 1990s; later it passed to the acronym STEAM when the Arts were later introduced, this is how you find a true interdisciplinary education. Since 2010, government policies have been developed in the USA, highlighting the Educate to Innovate program and in that same country the STEM4SD Education program, which develops education for sustainability by creating links with the local population. Precisely, this article will collect the educational policies that have been carried out in the USA for the development of this type of education. In this article and thanks to the analysis of certain programs, the importance of interdisciplinary STEM and STEAM education in our days will be exposed for the promotion of sustainability directed towards sustainable development, thereby creating more sustainable societies made up of more sustainable citizens, highlighting the importance of education for sustainability through STEM and STEAM education creating links with the land for the improvement of the rural world, which means establishing population, among other aspects.

Educating Future Agricultural Engineers at the University of Burgos, Spain, through a Service-Learning Project on Rural Depopulation and Its Social Consequences

“…The development of critical thinking was also noted in the identification of problems to be solved in the proposed agri-food buildings and by listing complementary measures. The resolution of a deep-rooted social problem such as rural depopulation not only requires a good proposal, but that proposal also needs favorable conditions for it to be successfully developed [31,41]. It was therefore observed that all the activities developed within the framework of the S-LP led the students to acquire a global vision of the depopulation problem, and to address as many aspects as possible for a successful outcome.…”

“…For example, the population in rural areas has decreased by 7.1% over the decade from 2011 to 2020, despite the fact that population growth stands at 0.6% in Spain [32]. Besides, it leads to an increase in the average age of the population within the rural environment, with a clear tendency for young people to migrate to the cities [31]. It is widely recognized that not preventing the movement of young population away from rural environments is problematic, as it affects different professions such as agriculture, livestock, and various industries that are fundamental in the economic and social functioning of the country, and to successfully achieve so-called "sustainable development" [33].…”

“…In this paper, an S-LP experience is reported that formed part of the Bachelor's Degree in Agroalimentary Engineering & the Rural Environment, at the University of Burgos, Spain. The objective of the project was, through the development of agri-food buildings, to try to mitigate the depopulation of rural areas and their low populations within the interior of Spain [31], among which is the province of Burgos that was also the geographical area of the S-LP. In this study, the S-LP and the projects that the students developed are described, after which the opinions of both the students and the teachers who implemented the project are analyzed in depth.…”

Interdisciplinary education in the context of protection of water resources: A case study in Vietnam

“…In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted, setting 17 goals and 169 targets for a better world by 2030. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for action at all levels to achieve these goals (Gavari-Starkie, Espinosa-Gutiérrez, & Lucini-Baquero, 2022).…”

Teacher Training and Sustainable Development: Study within the Framework of the Transdisciplinary Project RRREMAKER

“…In this approach, it is important to investigate the knowledge of future teachers and also the perception and attitude toward education for the development of sustainability [20,32] to study new ways of sensitizing and raising awareness in society. Research should be directed to all people creating new resources and strategies to address this crisis at social, environmental, and economic levels, using innovative technological and digital pedagogies [33] aimed at generating value on the environment around them and allowing the recognition of peers and society, understanding that we are all responsible for all [11,34].…”