Click here for the official guidelines from the Boy Scouts of America for the Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge.
The Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge requirements do not lend themselves specifically to container gardening projects. However, some aspects of this badge still speak to concerns addressed by our Learn & Grow Educational Series.
If you are pursuing this badge, you may wish to consider any national issues that come up regarding the debate over the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in our food supply, as well as matters involving major food growers, processors, packagers, distributors, and retailers as you follow the news for five days in a row as required by the badge. Diabetes and morbid obesity at are at alarming rates throughout the United States among children and adults, and this frequently comes up in the news. Both conditions are influenced by the quality of the foods people eat and those who suffer from these conditions can often benefit from changes to healthier diets.
Many other health conditions can be impacted by the quality of food that people eat, as well. Should you choose an issue related to food quality and/or non-GMO organic gardening to explain how it affects your family, consider any health issues that may be related to diet currently experienced by any of your family members.
In choosing a speech of national historical importance, consider Jamie Oliver’s February 2010 TED Talk regarding food education and health issues in America, below:
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