The old aphorism, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions," might well serve as the title for a resource that asks viewers to consider the plight of the people of the Gamo Highlands, an area in southwestern Ethiopia. These farmers have successfully followed the same farming techniques and followed the same traditional laws for over 10,000 years. After viewing a film about the challenges the Gamo face due to outside forces like the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) class members debate whether the effects of the modern world on this community are positive or negative.

Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Spend time informing yourself about the controversy over Monsanto's role in farming and be prepared to provide class members with links to resources that consider the many facets of the controversy

Classroom Considerations

• Preview the entire video and carefully consider the values of your community before deciding to use this resource
• Have teams conduct additional research and use resources beyond the film before conducting the debate

Pros

• The resource includes discussion questions and writing prompts

Cons

• No link to the video is provided; however, it is available on YouTube
• Because the film presents a definite point of view, the debate question seems inappropriate; instead, have class members consider what can be learned from the Gamo's

Common Core

SL.11-12.1.b