From Code to Crop: A Novel STEM-Based Approach Integrating Agriculture, Programming and Electronics

This innovative practice paper presents an interdisciplinary, integrated approach to teaching programming, electronics, and sustainable agriculture. As technology becomes increasingly central to society, Computer Science is gaining space in school curricula. Within this movement, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) provides a robust framework, but widening access demands methodologies that connect programming and electronics to other knowledge domains. Building on inspiration from educational robotics, this work proposes a novel STEM-based pathway anchored in agriculture. Originally aimed at middle and high school students, but adaptable to other contexts, the approach immerses learners in authentic problems: identifying seed types, defining growing conditions, and understanding cultivation timelines. On the technological side, students program Arduino boards and work with sensors, culminating in the design of an automatic system. Grounded in learning-by-doing, the curriculum scaffolds progressively challenging tasks that require new competencies across programming, electronics, and sustainable agriculture. Although agriculture is still underexplored in STEM education, its characteristics align strongly with STEM principles, offering a compelling avenue to motivate and engage diverse learners. The approach was validated first in a teaching-assistant training course and subsequently with two student groups. Participants reported high satisfaction, perceived the knowledge as useful and transferable, and expressed interest in advanced study. Electronics posed the greatest difficulties, whereas programming was viewed as easier. Even without prior experience, students achieved over 70% accuracy on assessments, evidencing steady learning gains. By sharing the materials, this work invites educators to reuse, adapt, and extend the proposal, fostering the emergence of new STEM educational approaches.