Final report for LNC22-470
Project Information
Approximately 33% of Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis) residents live in limited food access areas. This number increases in densely populated and underserved communities, such as the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood of Indianapolis where our partner Felege Hiwot Center (FHC) is located. The lack of fresh produce in this community and limited job opportunities for minority youth have led to both high rates of unemployment and poor health indicators. A better understanding of how jobs can be created in these communities and how to increase access to fresh foods by residents through minority youth urban farming entrepreneurial training, can provide information on how both policy makers and practitioners can tackle this issue. Youth Urban Farming Entrepreneurship Program (YUFEP) will work with the FHC and additional partners to teach youth entrepreneurial skills with a focus on sustainable urban agriculture through focused workshops and hands-on activities. Our primary objective is to help youth develop the skills needed to start their own sustainable urban farm business. This project will build upon already established FHC and youth entrepreneurship efforts, Purdue’s Diversified Farming and Food Systems (DFFS) program (https://www.purdue.edu/dffs) and other sustainable agriculture programming and curricula, such as those indicated later in this proposal for example soil health and business development skills. We will determine the success of the proposed project in multiple ways. Pre-surveys will be administered to explore the youth’s prior entrepreneurial knowledge. Participants will create weekly reflections to demonstrate experiences and skills gained from both activities and workshops provided. Post surveys, individual interviews, and observations will be conducted to evaluate program impacts. Youth will showcase their projects and the best projects will be selected and supported in the form of micro grants. Overall, the project will be framed as a case study, and evaluated as a model for other youth serving programs. The outcomes are to increase youth interest and participation in urban farming and entrepreneurship through entrepreneurial and sustainable agriculture workshops and hands on activities and to establish this program as a model for how sustainable agriculture entrepreneurship can impact local communities. This work has the potential to increase employment opportunities, expand sustainable agriculture practices and improve the healthy eating of minority youth within the program community.
YUFEP primary objective is to help youth develop skills needed to start their own sustainable urban farm business. First objective will provide workshops and hands on activities on sustainable agriculture and entrepreneurship for youth using professionals, entrepreneurs, and volunteers who share their skill sets. This includes identifying those community members who will serve as volunteers and mentors. Second objective is to support minority youth with micro grants and mentoring so they can start and operate their own small businesses. Third objective will involve a case study of this program as a model, and disseminate results for other youth serving programs.
Our study evaluates participants’ life skills, entrepreneurial skills, and mindset towards sustainable agriculture content and community collaborations with Felege Hiywot Center’s Youth Urban Farming Entrepreneurship Program (YUFEP). We worked through an established partnership between Purdue University and the Felege Hiywot Center’s (FHC) Youth Urban Farming Program in Indianapolis IN.
Cooperators
Research
Our primary objective is to help youth develop the skills needed to start their own sustainable urban farm business. We will achieve our this by providing workshops and hands on activities using both professionals, entrepreneurs, and volunteers to share entrepreneurial and sustainable agriculture skill sets with at risk youth.
Original (2022-2023)
Our primary objective is to help youth develop the skills needed to start their own sustainable urban farm business. We will achieve our stated objectives of the project providing workshops and hands on activities using both professionals, entrepreneurs, and volunteers to share entrepreneurial and sustainable agriculture skill sets with minority youth, Marion County Extension, Indianapolis (Schwabero) and Purdue University (Nzaranyimana, Orvis, Shoaf) will partner with youth serving organizations (FHC, Soul Food Project, Mother Loves Garden and Green Thumb Patrol). Nzaranyimana will collaborate with partners to assess and create a list of relevant needs, activities and workshops then gather successful urban entrepreneurs and professionals who will be able to engage with youth as volunteer mentors. Partners on board thus far are Indy Urban Acres and New Age Provisions. For the underserved minority youth enrolled, the YUFEP will provide weekly experiential learning sessions, mentoring support, and one on one discussions with the successful entrepreneurs in the community, as well as mentoring support throughout the first year of their business endeavor.
To support Objective 1, in addition to learning how to grow and market fresh foods, topics to be covered in the workshops and activities include how to start and conduct an urban farming business, sustainable agriculture topics, and what makes an entrepreneur successful. Youth will be exposed to urban farming entrepreneurial projects that will help them to learn how to create, start and run a small urban farming business. To select youth eligible for this program, the project will be advertised through local urban agriculture youth programs. Forty selected youth will be notified and will attend an orientation where guidelines and commitment to completing the project will be outlined.
First activity. Once we gather the information from participants, we will launch our training program based on the preliminary data collected from the first evaluation. Training topics will include sustainability topics such as soil health, sustainable production, selling and marketing, risk factors, creating SMART goals, ordinances and land use, water quality, etc. will be included in the training and will be conducted by project team members and identified community partners (see support letters). We will draw from existing teaching resources (as stated in prior section) to use in training and education activities, improving or adapting as needed.
The second activity will be to identify and establish additional partners that will expand the program, as well as community volunteers to serve as instructors and mentors for the program. Mentors will be chosen from the volunteers and local entrepreneurs with skill sets in coaching and advising mentees, and those that match interests of the youth business plans. This process is started with the seed funding project and additional partners will be identified and established.
The third activity. During the training, we will track youth on their progress in knowledge and entrepreneurship skill acquisition. This will be done through weekly journaling that will be done by youth. We anticipate them to make audios/videos that describe what they applied, how this framed their businesses, why they are interested in a particular type of a business, what that business means for them, how they see this as an opportunity to help strengthening their community through a business plan and contribute towards the supply of fresh produce within the community. Most of the criteria for the successful business plan will be graded and selected based on its feasibility, impact and how it fits into the current community needs which is to increase the supply of fresh produce within the community to improve its healthy eating.
The fourth activity will be to conduct a post-evaluation. The main goal for this step is to assess the youth’s knowledge and skills acquired related to urban agriculture and entrepreneurship. There will be also surveys and interviews as it was done in the pre-evaluation. Some of the engaging questions will ask them about what they got out of the training, how the training has helped them, how the mentoring helped them, any skill sets gained or if there are any missing skills, they feel that they wish could have gained from the training?
To support Objective 2, we will evaluate and provide start up assistance for youth developed business plans and programming developed in objective one. Youth will organize, create and present their projects, that show potential to be successful with startup capital and business support so that they can apply what they learned by running their proposed small business. There is need to provide micro grants to youth created small business plans developed as a result of YUFEP because many of these youth are underserved and have families and communities without the resources to invest in youth’s start-up. Providing micro grants as start-up will benefit those who have a good business plan, yet can’t allocate startup funds or other resources needed to get started. FHC and project leaders will facilitate a method for determining allocation of the micro grants based on youth work on program timelines, assignments, goals, and their final business plans. In order to provide equal opportunities to those who will not meet all the criteria to get the micro-grants, youth not receiving microgrants will join those awarded as interns so that they can learn and improve on their projects for the next selection cycle. Mentoring of the new businesses will be tracked in the following year.
The fifth activity will consist of micro-grants allocation. For this goal, we will select local experts in urban agriculture entrepreneurship (farmers, gardeners, local entrepreneurs, youth program leaders) so that they can determine who gets the grant based on the feasibility and the contribution of the project will bring in the community in relation to increase the supply of fresh food and/or economic growth within the community. Once grants are awarded, businesses will be monitored to track the highs and lows, why it might be hard to achieve the goals that have been set by youth, potential issues that might be faced by the awardees, how mentoring will help them and any support they might be looking for that can enable them to thrive in their businesses.
The sixth activity will consist of monitoring and evaluating for each project that received a loan. On this step, there will be visits on the sites where projects will be conducted and youth will be interviewed and surveyed to evaluate their successes or failures in their business. Mentors will engage with youth on a monthly basis for a period of one year. This is expected to provide substantial support for the youth participants.
To support Objective 3, conducting a case study to thoroughly evaluate the project, with in depth interviews, evaluations and observations. Effectively, objective 3 is embedded in Objectives 1 and 2 by the nature of the evaluation of the work.
The seventh activity will be to analyze and synthesize the data and activities into a handbook that will be useful for those who wish to model our work. This will be accomplished by exploring all aspects of the project within the context of sustainability using a variety of data sources (interviews, surveys, observations, journaling). This helps us see the project as a potential model for other youth serving organizations through multiple lenses. This approach is based in a constructivist paradigm, recognizing the importance of the human element but doing so with objectivity. This method allows the participant and the investigator to have a collaborative relationship, and enables the participants to tell their stories. Doing so will help us see the how and why of the workings of this proposed project, and how it might serve as a model for other youth serving organizations.
Challenges
Challenges to be addressed include managing youth as new farmer entrepreneurs and the pitfalls that may come with this task. While business planning and strong mentoring program will be in place, taking a planned risk as a young person requires the right mix of circumstances and support for a successful outcome. We will mitigate this risk by building in accountability for monetary distribution, mentorship responsibility, and end of project reporting. Micro grants for youth business plans will be implemented similar to beginning farmer rancher programs, where distribution of funds is dependent on achievement of goals and accountability to the sponsor.
In the first months of this proposed project we are planning to identify and solidify relationships with community partners willing to work with the youth program via connections that already exist with FHC and through our seed funding that has started in the spring of 2022. At the time of the writing of this proposal, all of those individuals were not yet fully identified, and we recognize that having all of this group on board would make a stronger proposal. However, bringing partners on board to an idea, and not a funded project can be challenging, given cultural needs of the neighborhood. Building those relationships takes time, which we have begun the process with our seed funding, by adding Indy Urban Acres and New Age Provisions Farms as examples of successful farming enterprises and Soul Food Project, Mother Loves Garden, and Green Thumb Patrol as youth programming partners.
2023 Pilot
Our study evaluates participants’ life skills, entrepreneurial skills, and mindset towards sustainable agriculture content and community collaborations with Felege Hiywot Center’s Youth Urban Farming Entrepreneurship Program (YUFEP). We worked through an established partnership between Purdue University and the Felege Hiywot Center’s (FHC) Youth Urban Farming Program in Indianapolis IN.
Data analysis
A mixed-methods design was used to gather quantitative and qualitative data through interviews, surveys, and focus group discussions. Planned qualitative data came from stakeholder interviews and participant focus groups. Data was analyzed and compared using SPSS, R, and Excel. For questions that involved self-assessment responses, we employed magnitude coding (Saldana, 2021) where responses were scored as follows: Strong Disagree = 1, Somewhat disagree = 2, Neither agree nor disagree = 3, Somewhat agree = 4, and Strongly agree =5. However, when participants were asked to evaluate the program's impact on their career plans/aspirations, their responses were coded as follows: Not at all = 1, A little = 2, Some = 3, and A lot =4. In both cases, students’ responses were cumulative and reported as a frequency of each response category.
Demographics
The survey was conducted in both pre-and post-survey formats to capture the demographic distribution of participants. A total of 28 participants completed the pre-survey. In comparison, only 23 participants responded to the post-survey because some participants had dropped out of the program before the post-survey was conducted (Table 1).
Table 1. Demographics of participants at the Purdue FHC program.
|
Demographic |
Frequency |
|
|
|
Pre-survey (n=28) |
Post-survey (n=23) |
|
Age |
|
|
|
Younger than 12 |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
12-14 |
9(31%) |
5(21.7%) |
|
15-16 |
17(58.6%) |
15(65.2%) |
|
17-18 |
2(6.9%) |
3(13.0%) |
|
18 or over |
1(3.4%) |
0(0%) |
|
|
|
|
|
Gender |
|
|
|
Male |
16(57.1%) |
14(60.9%) |
|
Female |
10(35.7%) |
8(34.8%) |
|
Non-binary/third gender |
2(7.1 %) |
1(4.3%) |
|
Prefer to self-describe |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
Prefer not to say |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
|
|
|
|
Race |
|
|
|
Hispanic, Latino, Latinx or Spanish |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
Middle Eastern or North African |
0(0%) |
1(5.3%) |
|
White |
4(16.7%) |
1(5.3%) |
|
Black or African American |
20(83.3%) |
17(89.4%) |
|
American Indian or Alaska Natives |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
Some other race, ethnicity or origin |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
I don’t know or I prefer not to answer |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
2024 Summer Program Data
Data analysis
This study evaluates participants’ life skills, entrepreneurial skills, and mindset towards sustainable
agriculture content and community collaborations with Felege Hiywot Center’s Youth Urban
Farming Entrepreneurship Program (YUFEP). We worked through an established partnership
between Purdue University and the Felege Hiywot Center’s (FHC) Youth Urban Farming Program
in Indianapolis IN.
A mixed-methods design was used to gather quantitative and qualitative data through interviews,
surveys, and focus group discussions. Planned qualitative data came from stakeholder interviews
and participant focus groups. Data was analyzed and compared using R and Excel. For questions
that involved self-assessment responses, we employed magnitude coding (Saldana, 2021) where
responses were scored as follows: Strong Disagree = 1, Somewhat disagree = 2, Neither agree nor
disagree = 3, Somewhat agree = 4, and Strongly agree =5. However, when participants were asked
to evaluate the program’s impact on their career plans/aspirations, their responses were coded as
follows: Not at all = 1, A little = 2, Some = 3, and A lot =4. In both cases, students’ responses were
cumulative and reported as a frequency of each response category.
Demographics
The survey was administered in both pre-and post-survey formats to assess the demographic
distribution of participants. A total of 25 participants completed the pre-survey. However, only 10
participants responded to the post-survey due to the early closure of the Felege Hiywot Center
(FHC) before the post-survey could be conducted in person. To mitigate this, the post-survey was
distributed via email, but many participants could not respond, primarily due to limited computer
access. As a result, a significant portion of responses was lost during the post-survey phase.
Table1. Demographics of participants Summer 2024 program
|
Demographic |
Frequency |
|
|
|
Pre-survey (n=25) |
Post-survey (n=10) |
|
Age |
|
|
|
Younger than 12 |
1(4%) |
0(0%) |
|
12-14 |
7(28%) |
4(40%) |
|
15-16 |
14(56%) |
4(40%) |
|
17-18 |
3(12%) |
2(20%) |
|
18 or over |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
|
|
|
|
Gender |
|
|
|
Male |
10(40%) |
3(30%) |
|
Female |
15(60%) |
6(60%) |
|
Non-binary/third gender |
0(0 %) |
0(0%) |
|
Prefer to self-describe |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
Prefer not to say |
0(0%) |
1(10%) |
|
|
|
|
|
Race |
|
|
|
Hispanic, Latino, Latinx or Spanish |
2(11.1%) |
2(28.5%) |
|
Middle Eastern or North African |
1(5.5%) |
0(0%) |
|
White |
2(11.1%) |
1(14.2%) |
|
Black or African American |
12(66.6%) |
4(57.1%) |
|
American Indian or Alaska Natives |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
Some other race, ethnicity or origin |
0(0%) |
0(0%) |
|
I don’t know or I prefer not to answer
Grade 6,7, or 8, or middle school 9 or freshman 10 or sophomore 11 or junior 12 or senior Graduated high school or have GED |
1(5.5%)
0(0%) 7(43.7%) 7(43.7%) 0(0%) 2(12.5%) 0(0%) |
0(0%)
0(0%) 3(37.5%) 2(25%) 0(0%) 3(37.5%) 0(0%) |
2025 Data and Materials and Methods
The following data suggests that participants have varying perceptions about entrepreneurship, agriculture and sustainability. While some participants believe that current crops can adapt to changes and be managed more sustainably, others are more pessimistic. The data also highlights limited change from pre to post on several sustainability principles.
Due to the very small sample size, complexity of the population and program, inconsistencies in the data, and potential issues in completing the online survey, caution and care are required in interpretation and drawing any definitive conclusions.
Demographics
* The survey had 16 participants (PRE) and 17 participants (POST) who completed the survey.
* The gender distribution was 62.5% male and 37.5% Pre, and 47% male and 53% female Post, which is consistent with an anonymous survey in a population of about 30 students who attended the summer program.
* The racial/ethnic distribution was diverse, with 44% identifying as Black or African American PRE and 47% POST. Many youth participants self-reported a mix of race and ethnicity.
Summer 2025 FHC and Purdue SARE Camp Self-Reported Gender
|
Items |
PRE |
POST |
||
|
Frequency |
Percent |
Frequency |
Percent |
|
|
Male |
10 |
62.5 |
8 |
47.059 |
|
Female |
6 |
37.5 |
9 |
52.941 |
|
Total |
16 |
100 |
17 |
100 |
Summer 2025 FHC and Purdue SARE Camp Self-Reported Age
|
|
Items |
PRE |
POST |
|
||||||
|
|
Frequency |
Percent |
Frequency |
Percent |
|
|||||
|
|
18 or over |
1 |
6.25 |
0 |
0 |
|
||||
|
|
15-16 |
7 |
43.75 |
9 |
52.941 |
|
||||
|
|
17-18 |
8 |
50 |
8 |
47.059 |
|
||||
|
|
Total |
16 |
100 |
17 |
100 |
|
||||
|
Summer 2025 FHC and Purdue SARE Camp Self-Reported Race/Ethnicity |
||||||||||
|
|
PRE |
|
POST |
|
||||||
|
|
Frequency |
Percentage |
Frequency |
Percentage |
||||||
|
White |
2 |
12.50 |
1 |
5.88 |
||||||
|
Black or African American |
7 |
43.75 |
8 |
47.06 |
||||||
|
Hispanic, Latino, Latinx or Spanish |
1 |
6.25 |
3 |
17.65 |
||||||
|
Other or mixed |
5 |
31.25 |
4 |
23.53 |
||||||
|
Indigenous or Native |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
5.88 |
||||||
|
I don't know |
1 |
6.25 |
0 |
0.00 |
||||||
|
Total |
16 |
100.00 |
17 |
100.00 |
||||||
2023 Pilot
Comparison of pre and post-survey responses
We asked students about their perceptions of youth urban agriculture and entrepreneurship in terms of learning, mindset, networking, motivation, and self-efficacy. We then calculated the mean of means of responses coded with a self-perception scheme, as shown above. Initially, at the beginning of the program, students’ average responses were 3.7 or below, indicating a range of neutrality to disagreement (neither agree nor disagree, somewhat disagree, and strongly disagree). However, by the end of the program, responses shifted to an average above 3.7, indicating increased agreement with the questions asked. Consequently, students gained a deeper understanding of urban agriculture and entrepreneurship. Specifically, when students were assessed on their planned involvement in urban agriculture, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, responses indicated a strong agreement among students.
Next, we assessed students’ knowledge of agricultural sustainability using pre- and post-surveys. The responses were coded utilizing a combination of magnitude and In Vivo coding, and the frequency of correct answers was recorded (Saldana, 2021, Charmaz, 2014, Corbin & Strauss 2015). The survey results in sustainable agriculture reveal that students struggle to answer questions correctly in both the pre-and post-survey, resulting in no significant change in responses. To address this issue, it is recommended that Purdue YUFEP review teaching methods and materials and develop specific strategies to enhance students’ understanding of sustainable agriculture.
Students were asked to indicate their career aspirations before and after the program. As shown in Figure 1, most students initially preferred careers in business. However, their interests diversified, with some reconsidering their career paths by the end of the program. This shift is also reflected in students’ feedback on how the Purdue YUFEP influenced their future plans. About 96% of the students expressed concern that the program had somewhat affected their career choices .
Finally, we evaluated participants’ experiences and takeaways from the Purdue Friday and Saturday sessions. Specifically, the questions focused on their favorite aspects, new learnings, and unexpected elements of the sessions. Using In Vivo coding (Saldana, 2021, Charmaz, 2014, Corbin & Strauss 2015), we categorized students’ responses into themes. These themes included the environment and nature, hands-on activities and projects, learning and educational aspects, special activities, and others. About 26% of students enjoyed the hands-on activities, 21% appreciated the learning and educational components, another 21% favored other activities, and 13% preferred the natural surroundings (Figure 3). Additionally, figure 4 shows a higher proportion of students (34%) reported learning something new about Agriculture and Plants compared to other themes: business and practical knowledge (8%), specific skills and techniques (17.4%), general insights (21.7%), and other topics (17.4%). Among the above activities, most students shared that they were more surprised by the uniqueness of the activities on agriculture and plants, indicating the significance of such area/ topic.
2024 Summer Program Results
Survey Results
Pre-Survey Demographics
Among the students who completed the pre-survey, 84% were 16 years or younger, while 12% were older than 16. The majority of the students identified as Black or African American (66.6%), with 11.1% identifying as white. 11.1% of participants identified as Hispanics, 5.5 as Middle Eastern or North African. There was no Native Hawaiian, American Indian, or Alaska Native. 5.5% preferred not to answer. Regarding gender, 60% were female, 40% were male, and there were no non-binary/ third gender.
Post Survey Demographics
Of the students who completed the pre-survey, 80% were aged 16 or younger, while 20% were older than 16. A significant majority of the students (57.1%) identified as Black or African American, with 14.2% identifying as white and no Middle Eastern or North African. 28.5 % of participants identified as Hispanic. There were no Native Hawaiian, American Indian, or Alaska Native. Regarding gender, 60% of the students were female, 30% were male, and there were no non-binary.
Participation in FHC Summer Program
We evaluated student participation in the FHC Summer program to identify whether they were new or returning participants, with the aim of informing future planning. Notably, 68% of the students were first-time participants, 16% had attended twice, 12% had attended three times, and 4% had participated more than three times.
Results
Data assessment was limited, as there were substantial complications with data collection, while 25 students completed the pre-survey, only 10 completed the post-survey after the center closed early. Therefore, all summaries below should be interpreted carefully.
Growth in Mindset and Engagement
Throughout the program, students were asked to rate their own understanding and interest in urban agriculture and entrepreneurship. At the beginning, average scores were around 3.75—indicating neutral or uncertain responses. By the end, scores rose above 4.0 across several categories, showing that students felt more confident and engaged. They expressed stronger interest in becoming involved in entrepreneurship, sustainable agriculture, and local community work. These gains suggest that hands-on experiences, discussions, and activities may have had a meaningful impact on how students viewed these career pathways and topics.
Shift in Career Aspirations
Students’ career interests also shifted during the program. Initially, many hoped to pursue careers in the medical field or business. After completing the program, more students began exploring entrepreneurship and sustainability-related fields. Some even changed their career goals entirely. The program’s focus on real-world applications and exposure to business skills appeared to broaden students' understanding of what is possible for their future.
|
Career Interests |
Pre-Survey Focus |
Post-Survey Changes |
|
Medical field |
High interest |
Still strong, but slightly lower |
|
Business/Entrepreneurship |
Moderate interest |
Increased interest |
|
Agriculture/Sustainability |
Low interest |
Notable increase |
|
Other (education, tech, etc.) |
Minimal mentions |
More students explored new paths |
Gains in Agricultural Knowledge
In addition to mindset changes, the program also improved students’ factual knowledge about sustainable agriculture. The pre- and post-surveys included content questions on topics like crop rotation, farming methods, and the definition of sustainability. For example, the number of students who correctly identified the three pillars of sustainability increased from 28% to 70%. While there were still areas where students struggled—like understanding climate change impacts or global food waste—overall results showed that learning strategies used in the program helped deepen students’ knowledge.
|
Topic |
Correct (Pre) |
Correct (Post) |
|
Definition of sustainable agriculture |
52% |
70% |
|
Importance to youth/community |
68% |
90% |
|
Farming method for sustainability |
48% |
60% |
|
Three pillars of sustainability |
28% |
70% |
|
Impact of climate change on agriculture |
28% |
0% |
Conclusion
Students shared reflections on what they enjoyed most and what surprised them. Many highlighted the hands-on activities, outdoor projects, and business-focused sessions. About 60% said they learned something new about entrepreneurship, while others gained new knowledge in agriculture, technology, and teamwork. Some students were especially surprised by innovative tools like using an online business planning tool on the Chromebooks and the unique mix of academic learning with outdoor experience. Overall, the 2024 FHC summer program was able to provide skill-building experiences that not only taught students about sustainability and entrepreneurship but potentially made an impact on their future career paths.
2025 Results
The following data suggests that participants have varying perceptions about entrepreneurship, agriculture and sustainability. While some participants believe that current crops can adapt to changes and be managed more sustainably, others are more pessimistic. The data also highlights limited change from pre to post on several sustainability principles.
Due to the very small sample size, complexity of the population and program, inconsistencies in the data, and potential issues in completing the online survey, caution and care are required in interpretation and drawing any definitive conclusions.
Gains in Agricultural Knowledge
The summer program showed limited or no change in students’ factual knowledge about sustainable agriculture. This may be attributed to the small sample size, short timeline of the program, and potential challenges in administering the online survey. The pre- and post-surveys included content questions on topics like crop rotation, farming methods, and the definition of sustainability. For example, the number of students who understood the impact of climate change on agriculture improved from 19% pre to 53% post. There were still areas where students struggled or where no change was observed—such as understanding water use or global food waste, and aspects of sustainability.
|
Topic |
Correct (Pre) (N=16) |
Correct (Post) (N=17) |
|
Definition of sustainable agriculture |
81% (13/16) |
65% (11/17) |
|
Farming method for sustainability |
37% (6/16) |
41% (7/17) |
|
Three pillars of sustainability |
37% (6/16) |
35% (6/17) |
|
Impact of climate change on agriculture |
19% (3/16) |
53% (9/17) |
|
Definition of restorative agriculture |
37.5% (6/16) |
41% (7/17) |
Summer 2025 FHC and Purdue SARE Camp Knowledge Statements
|
PRE (N=16) |
POST (N=17) |
|
||||
|
Agree/ Strongly Agree |
Neither Agree or Disagree |
Disagree/ Strongly Disagree |
Agree/ Strongly Agree |
Neither Agree or Disagree |
Disagree/ Strongly Disagree |
|
|
Technology Adoption is NOT part of Sustainable Agriculture |
3 (19%) |
6 (38%) |
8 (50%) |
4 (24%) |
7 (41%) |
6 (35%) |
|
Impacts of Sustainability on me & my community known before program |
9 (56%) |
3 (19%) |
4 (25%) |
9 (53%) |
6 (35%) |
2 (11%) |
Career Aspirations
Students’ career interests show a wide breadth of interests, which is summarized in the following table. The Purdue and FHC programming focused on real-world applications and exposure to STEM and business opportunities, supported students' understanding of what is possible for their future, and that college or trade school is an important aspect.
On the post survey, when youth farmers were asked if the Purdue portion of the FHC summer program changed their viewpoint of my future plans, 82% (14/17) listed some or a little, 12% (2/17) indicated a lot, and 6% (1/17) indicated none. Youth were also asked if the Purdue program could help prepare me for college or trade school, 76% (13/17) indicated the strongly agreed or somewhat agreed, 24% (4/17) neither agreed nor disagreed, and none disagreed or strongly disagreed. The following table demonstrates the wide breath of career consideration by the youth. It is important to note that in the summer of 2025 the FHC summer program had a special focus on the arts in addition to normal STEM programming.
What career path are you thinking about right now (today) - what job might you want and what do you plan to do to get it?
|
Items |
PRE |
POST |
||
|
Frequency |
Percent |
Frequency |
Percent |
|
|
Skilled Trades & Construction |
3 |
19.0 |
4 |
24.0 |
|
STEM & Technical Careers |
5 |
31.0 |
3 |
18.0 |
|
Business & Entrepreneurship |
4 |
25.0 |
4 |
24.0 |
|
Uncertain / Still Deciding |
2 |
13.0 |
1 |
6.0 |
|
Education & Social Services |
2 |
13.0 |
2 |
18.00 |
|
Creative & Arts Careers |
0 |
0 |
2 |
12.0 |
|
Total |
16 |
100 |
17 |
100 |
Student Comments About the Program
This summer a few new activities were introduced, such as a where new apple varieties come from and how they are made - incorporates plant propagation, geography, history and plant breeding, along with a tiny bit of biotechnology. We did taste tests of some new apple varieties that were new to many of the youth farmers. We added a plant nutrition study, that I set up ahead of time, and brought to the center. Students had to make observations over time about what happens when you change nutrients in the plants growth. Another new addition was a leaf disc float that demonstrates photosynthesis. And finally, a soils and pH activity that had them evaluating the pH of different growing media, and how that can impact food preservation and plant growth. These new activities show up in the post program questions.
When asked what was one new thing you learned a few themes were present, and related to these new additions. For example related to the apple lessons: students mentioned apple flavors, apple tasting, plants come from different places, genetic breeding, and you can change the DNA of the plant. Other student comments included - sustainable farming, learning how to grow healthy plants and what to avoid doing, cell processes (photosynthesis), plants regeneration (plant propagation), and cucumbers are a fruit not a vegetable.
When asked what was on thing that surprised them during the Purdue programming, comments included: Several noted taking care of the corn (plant nutrition experiment) and the surprising results that they saw, using whatever combination of spices and flavors to make their own pickles, and that apples can be 'crosshybrids'.
Finally, students were asked what their favorite things from the Purdue sessions was. Responses included strawberry DNA and DNA splicing; plants and different nutrients, getting to take care of the plants (corn nutrient activity); and learning how plant cells work and plant processes; asking them how they could built their own business and urban agriculture. Getting to take care of their own plants in the plant nutrition activity was the most common listed 'favorite thing'.
From 2023–2025, the Purdue University–Felege Hiywot Center (FHC) SARE Youth Urban Agriculture Entrepreneurship Program sought to enhance agricultural literacy, sustainability knowledge, entrepreneurial mindset, and career awareness among urban adolescents ages 15–18. The project aimed to determine whether experiential urban agriculture programming—combined with structured entrepreneurship training and a micro-grant opportunity—could strengthen youth confidence, business readiness, and future educational and career planning in agriculture and related fields.
The program was implemented through a partnership between Purdue University and the FHC summer STEAM camp. Instruction emphasized hands-on, experiential learning, including plant nutrition experiments, plant propagation, sustainability demonstrations, and applied business planning. Pre- and post-program surveys were administered each year to assess changes in knowledge, perceptions of entrepreneurship and urban agriculture, and career aspirations. Participant numbers ranged from 16–28 students in pre-surveys and 10–23 in post-surveys annually.
Across three cohorts, results demonstrated consistent improvements in entrepreneurial mindset, motivation, networking, and self-efficacy. Students reported increased confidence in their ability to pursue entrepreneurship and greater awareness of career pathways. Career aspirations broadened across STEM, business, trades, education, and creative sectors, and most participants indicated that the program influenced their post-secondary planning. These findings indicate that the project met its objective of strengthening entrepreneurial competencies and expanding career readiness.
In contrast, gains in sustainable agriculture knowledge were variable and topic-dependent. While selected content areas showed improvement in some years, knowledge acquisition was uneven across cohorts. These outcomes suggest that short-term programming may be more effective at influencing mindset and career orientation than producing consistent measurable gains in technical agricultural knowledge.
A central objective of the project was the establishment of a youth micro-grant program to support business launch. One participant successfully completed the business planning process and launched a landscaping enterprise, receiving $10,000 in phased funding. By 2025, this business was fully operational. However, most participants were not developmentally prepared to meet funding-readiness criteria within the short program timeframe, and operational disruptions in 2024 further limited expansion of this component. A portion of micro-grant funds was returned to the sponsor. These outcomes demonstrate both proof of concept and the need for extended, multi-year scaffolding for youth business incubation.
Several implementation challenges affected program delivery, including leadership transitions, post-COVID operational instability, staff turnover, early camp closure in 2024, limited survey access due to technology constraints, and small sample sizes. While these factors limited statistical power and broader generalizability, directional consistency in entrepreneurial outcomes across cohorts strengthens confidence in the program’s impact.
Overall, the project successfully answered its central question: experiential youth urban agriculture programming can strengthen entrepreneurial mindset and career awareness in short-term settings. Future program improvements will focus on increased instructional continuity, extended business planning timelines, improved data collection methods (e.g., paper-based surveys), and sustained exposure to agricultural systems content. These refinements are expected to enhance measurable knowledge gains while maintaining the demonstrated strengths in entrepreneurial development and career readiness.
Education
The Purdue SARE Youth Urban Farming Entrepreneurship Program (YUFEP) at the Felege Hiywot Center (FHC) in Indianapolis, USA, is an impactful initiative designed to empower minority youth with knowledge and skills in sustainable urban agriculture and entrepreneurship. This program aims to provide participants with a well-rounded education encompassing practical farming techniques, comprehensive business planning, and essential personal development skills. Through hands-on activities and expert-led sessions, YUFEP aspires to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application, fostering a new generation of informed and capable urban farmers and entrepreneurs. Each week the Purdue team did programming on Fridays and Saturdays, for seven weeks in 2023 and six weeks in 2024 and 2025. A number of topics and speakers were utilized, along with hands on activities, paper and pencil workbooks for business planning, presentations and time spent engaging with the youth.
Program DETAILED SCHEDULE 2023
6/9 -10/2023 :
- Take pre-survey – use phones (note – students do not otherwise have access to phones or technology while at camp)
- Sustainable Agriculture & You?
Activity: Discovery activity
- Urban Agriculture - Demographics of Indiana's Urban Agriculturalists (purdue.edu)
- Fruit and Vegetable Farmer Surveys: Characteristics of Indiana Vegetable Farming Operations (purdue.edu)
- Vegetable Prices for the 2019 Market Season (purdue.edu)
- 2019 Indiana Farmers Market Prices: Fruit (purdue.edu)
- 2019 Indiana Farmers Market Prices: Specialty Produce (purdue.edu)
- Entrepreneurship, what is it? and Does it already exist? Research it. Can you make it better or more sustainable? Are you passionate about it?
- Have youth brainstorm and sort into small groups.
- Business Plan Resources:
- Beginning Farmer Workbook- Purdue Extension
- Urban Farm Business Plan Worksheets | US EPA
- https://www.farmers.gov/your-business/beginning-farmers/business-plan USDA Farmers.gov
- https://www.purdue.edu/newventure/ New Business Planner
- Plant Propagation
Activity: Plant Propagation activity and start business planning
6/16-17 /2023 :
- Soil Health: Compost, Food Waste
Activity: Create worm bins / environment-- Marion County, Brooke Alford
- Market Research: can your environment tolerate your product? Is it saturated? Where will you sell? What are the demographics that can support your business? Certifications: Licensing, Zoning, Permits, etc. is this feasible?
- Speaker, Jean Pierre
6/23 -24/2023:
- Niche Markets
Activity: Flowers from Local Flower farm, flower structure and floral arranging
- Mushroom Cultivation: types of mushrooms, demand, safety
Activity/Game: Back to the roots Kit.
- Budgeting: Software to use. Google sheet/ excel/ quickbooks
- Work in notebooks on business plans
- Cover Crops – Ashley Adair
- Plant ID, magnifying glasses, hands on work in plantings
6/30/2023 and 7/1/23:
- Alternative methods of cultivation- aeroponics, hydroponics,
Activity: build your own hydroponics bottle
- Diversification in Urban Ag
Field Trip: NewAge Provisions – Vertical Farm, Indianapolis
- Production analysis and marketing
- Business planning workbooks
7/7 -8/2023
- Value Added Products
- Cukes to pickles, speaker Dr. Theo
Activity - make refrigerator pickles from scratch
- Production: successive planting, production levels
Activity: Crop calendars: how to plan crops
- Customer Service; Get Legal
- Business planning workbooks
7/14-15/2023
- Food safety:
Activity – Speaker from Food Science – Plating Bacteria swabs
- Food safety Training: https://cals.cornell.edu/produce-safety-alliance/training
- Safe Food Handling Practices: Food Safety Curriculum for High School Students (purdue.edu)
- Home-based vendors: Handling and Sanitation (purdue.edu)
- Food Safety for Fruit and Vegetable Farms: Good Agricultural Practices for Fruit and Vegetable Farms (purdue.edu)
Activity:
- Business planning
- Work on presentations for final session
7/21/2023:
- Final session
- Take post survey
- Group presentations of their business plans to External Panel
- Recorded and scored with standard rubric
SUMMER 2024 Programming
VENUE: FELEGE HIYWOT CENTER, INDIANAPOLIS, USA
FHC WEEK 1 Theme– PLANTS
FRIDAY, JUNE 7: 1:00-3:30 PM
TOPIC: URBAN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
INTRODUCTION
- Introducing program (Program Overview) - Dr. Orvis
- Short Introduction of guests (Allow guests to introduce themselves)
- Introduce the Topic (Overview of the topic of the day) - Dr. Orvis
ACTIVITIES
- Survey
- Group set up
- Presentation on Urban Sustainable Agriculture from Danielle
- Potatoes propagation: Presentation and hands-on activity for participants (Dr. Orvis)
- Succulent propagation: Presentation and hands-on activity for participants (Dr. Orvis)
SPEAKERS
1. Soul Food Farm- Indy- Danielle Guerin
2. Dr. Orvis
SATURDAY, June 8: 9:30-11:30 AM
TOPIC: ENTREPRENEURSHIP & BUSINESS IDEAS
INTRODUCTION
- Short introduction of guests
- Introducing topic (Overview of topic of the day)
ACTIVITIES
- Brainstorming, Business planning
- STAGE ONE (1) OF INVENTURE
- Why do you want to begin this venture?
- What product/service will you market?
- Who are your customers?
SPEAKER
1. Mr. Jean Pierre, Purdue Graduate Student and Entrepreneur
WEEK 2- Theme SOIL/WATER
FRIDAY, JUNE 14: 1:00-3:30 PM
TOPIC: URBAN SOIL HEALTH /FOOD WASTE / SOIL STRUCTURE
INTRODUCTION
- Short Introduction of guests
- Introducing Topic (overview of the topic of the day)
ACTIVITIES
- Urban Soil Health
- Business Plan- Market Analysis and research
SPEAKER
- Nathan Shoaf. Purdue Urban Ag Coordinator and Extension Specialist
SATURDAY, June 15: 9:30-11:30 AM (this day was cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances at FHC)
TOPIC: BUSINESS PLANS/ MARKETING ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH
INTRODUCTION
Short Introduction of guestIntroducing the TopicCommunicating the flow of the activities within the day
ACTIVITIES
Business Planning Using Inventure Program and Brainstorming/Group Work
SPEAKER
Dr. Orvis
WEEK 3- Theme ECOLOGY LANDSCAPE
FRIDAY, JUNE 21: 1:00-3:30 PM
TOPIC NICHE MARKET- FLOWER PRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
- Short introduction of guest speakers,
- Introducing the topic (overview of the topic of the day)
ACTIVITIES
- Arrange flowers (hands-on activities)
- Have the kids bring a vase.
- Pruners, instructions for demo
SPEAKER:
Exchange with Soul Foods - Field trip of walking down street
SATURDAY, June 22: 9:30 -11:30 AM
TOPIC: MAPPING/NICHE MARKET/ ORGANIC WEED CONTROL
INTRODUCTION
- Short introduction of guests
- Introducing the topic (overview of the topic of the day)
ACTIVITIES
- Pages 9&14, 31, 34, 37, 38 Mapping- Beginning Farmer Workbook
- InVenture Stage 3 on Chromebooks
SPEAKER
Dr. Steve Meyers and his students - Weed Science and Garden Tool Sharpening and Use
WEEK 4- Theme INSECTS
FRIDAY, JUNE 28: 1:00- 3:30 PM
TOPIC: Group Exchange
INTRODUCTION
- Short Introduction of guests
- Overview of the day
ACTIVITIES
- Field trip Exchange with Soul Food Farm on Sheldon St (Danielle Guerin) - visiting FHC
SATURDAY, June 29: 9:30-11:30 AM
TOPIC: PRODUCTION ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
- Communicating the flow of the activities within the day.
ACTIVITIES
- Exchange with Soul Food Farm - field trip to Soul Food Farm on Sheldon St (Danielle Guerin)
WEEK 5- Theme FRUITS/NUTS
FRIDAY, JULY 5: 1:3:30PM
TOPIC: GET LEGAL: SPECIALTY CROPS, NICHE MARKETS
INTRODUCTION
- Introducing the topic (overview of the day)
- Review progress on business plans
ACTIVITIES
- Business Planning, Working on InVenture on Chromebooks and Business Plans
SPEAKERS
- Jalynn and Delphine
SATURDAY, July 6: 9:30-11:30 AM
TOPIC: VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS
INTRODUCTION
- Short introduction of guest speaker
- Introducing the topic (Overview of the topic of the day)
ACTIVITIES
- Cuke to Pickles - Specialty Markets and Value Added Crops
SPEAKER:
Dr. Theoneste Nzaramyimana, Kentucky State University
WEEK 6- Theme VEGGIES/HERBS
FRIDAY, JULY 12: 1:00-3:30 PM
TOPIC: FOOD AND CULTURE
INTRODUCTION
- Short Introduction of the guests
- Introducing the topic (Overview of the topic of the day)
ACTIVITIES
- Lessons on food and culture from Africa - Delphine Iradukunda
- Leadership Experiences with Dr. Russell
- Review and work on business plans and presentations
SATURDAY July 13: 9:30-11:30 AM
TOPIC: PREPARE & PRACTICE BUSINESS PLANS
INTRODUCTION
- Introducing the topic (overview of the day)
ACTIVITY
- Summarize and finalize the business plan.
- Work on presentations for next Friday
**Note: Due to illnesses from a covid outbreak and behavior issue at camp, FHC was closed on Friday and Saturday (July 19-20) of Week 7 and no final presentations were given, and no celebration of the end the program was hosted. This was a challenge as we were not able to collect Post-Survey data from the group, nor have them present their plans. Multiple options for how to remedy this were explored, however youth were back to school in the Indianapolis school system the next week, which made making up the time not possible. A limited amount of post-survey data was gathered using online survey delivery, but the whole group did not complete them**
Week 7 - Theme CAREERS
Friday, July 19th 1:00-3:30 PM
TOPIC: Summary of business plans and entrepreneurial projects
INTRODUCTION
Introducing the topic (overview of the day)Take Post-Surveys on Chromebooks
ACTIVITY
Groups present their entrepreneurial ideas and business plansPanel of community and Purdue experts to participate in reviewing plans and presentations
SUMMER 2025 Programming
A number of changes in the administration of the program at FHC (their program) after challenges in 2024 resulted in shifting the content slightly towards plant science and sustainability. Programming days and time period were shortened to 3-4 hours per week of direct instruction, with weekly supporting materials developed and taught to FHC camp counselors (youth) for them to deliver directly. Very careful consideration was made for each session taught to best align with the FHC vision for their students. The following shows how the program was reconstructed for half direct teaching and half youth led teaching of the content.
Week 1 – Sustainability
- June 6 – Dr. Orvis presents – Sustainability in Urban Agriculture
- Overall Topic: Sustainable – what does the word mean and why does it matter?
- Context and Content:
- Protection of soil, water and environment, small things matter
- Urban production – typically small scale production – ex Moriah, student farm, Soul Food, Community Gardens, etc. But not always, Container Farms, Roof Top Farms, etc.
- How to bring it home to their own lives
- Activity – Discussion and group work on sustainability.
- Activity – careers activity
- June 10, 11, 12 – Staff teaching/ lessons/ activities
- Overall Topic #1: Biodiversity on the planet
- Context and Content:
- Pollinators and our food supply
- Activity:
- Evaluate different fruits and veggies and learn how they are grown and pollinated and produced. Give groups topic to work on, use chromebooks, or Dr Orvis can provide some hand outs and report back to each other.
- Suck a Bug Activity and Bug nets to identify friends and foe insects
- Context and Content:
- Overall Topic #2: Community Advocacy
-
- Context and Content: community advocacy –
- Work youth have been doing in the community re planning, input, etc. and connect it to FHC
- Activity:
- Discussion: Year Round Students present to the new students what they have accomplished and how, and why it is important to them and their community
- Context and Content: community advocacy –
-
- Overall Topic #1: Biodiversity on the planet
Week 2 – Nutrients and Nutrition
- June 13 – Dr. Orvis presents – Nutrition for plants and people
- Overall Topic: Nutrition – plants people and all things living
- Context and Content:
- Plant parts and function – brief overview plant parts and growth
- Show what happens when water plants with different concentrations of fertilizer
- Prior set up of nutrition experiment at Purdue, brought to FHC for students to do observation and treatments to the plants for 2-3 weeks
- What is plant nutrition and why does it matter – pics and diagnosis of issues
- Why does this matter to you and/or apply in your life?
- Activities
-
- Nutrient deficiency experiment, set up, explain and do
- Soil pH – why it matters, easily measure, measure other things pH – pH paper
-
- June 17, 18, 19 – staff teaching/ lessons/ activities
- Daily Observations and care for the nutrient experiments!
- Provided the chart and place to write down observations. Groups assigned to record observations on their set of plants.
- Overall Topic #1: Golden Plants?
- Context and Content:
- Phytoremediation
- Connect to using plants to clean environment
- Activity:
- Why does this apply to this neighborhood, how could this ‘technology’ be used here? What would be needed? Investigate using chromebooks and come up with a plan to use plants to clean up a contaminated site – could be lead, other heavy metals. Each group can come up with their own and share back with each other. Set up materials ahead of time for youth leaders.
- Context and Content:
- Daily Observations and care for the nutrient experiments!
Week 3 – June 25– Where do new fruits and veggies come from?
June 25 – Dr. Orvis presents – you can eat that?
- Overall Topic: where does your food come from, how did it get to the store, and why should you care
- Context and Content:
- Connect to where food comes from, how it developed
- Global production, local production
- Plant Breeding and Crop Improvement
- Why does this matter to you?
- Do a little aside about really amazing technology – integrates science, technology, and engineering into one nifty process, connect to careers. Talk about phenotyping facilities we have on campus and why they are so cool.
- Context and Content:
- Activity
- DNA Extraction
- Strawberry DNA – can do this with or without me
- Do apple taste test
- Varieties and why they matter, uses, storage, and production
- DNA Extraction
- June 24, 25, 26 – staff teaching/ lessons/ activities
- Overall Topic #1: fun with plant propagation
- Do grafting with celery example. Do a walk through with youth leaders, show how to do and set up.
- Talk about connections with grafting and apple production and why it is so important
- Overall Topic #1: fun with plant propagation
Week 4 – June 27 - Dr. Orvis
- Overall Topic: Food - science to salads
- Context and Content: Preserving produce - Pickling
- Do science activity with pH
- Prep materials for student pickling
- Do taste test of variety of pickled produce - creative, find things they may not have had or realized could be pickled
- Why does this matter to you?
- Context and Content: Preserving produce - Pickling
June 28, 29, 30 – staff teaching/ lessons/ activities
-
-
- Post harvest investigation – cold storage vs room temp storage of leafy greens
- Have them leave out leafy greens, room temp, and cold and observe – would they eat it? Why or why not?
- What happens to food when stored?
- Why is proper storage important for our food supply?
-
Week 5 (Jean Paul) – July 11
- Overall Topic: How do plants grow (Jean Paul presents)
- Content and Context: Photosynthesis and why it matters to you
- Syringe activity - Photosynthesis Float
- Respiration – parallels in all living things – maternal inheritance
- Sweaty plants activity – water use in plants – where does it go?
- Light -colors of the spectrum – bending in shade, color differences – connections to growing at home and growing in urban environments -
- Bring light meters to show, or show how to do on phones
June 28, 29, 30 – staff teaching/ lessons/ activities
- Parts of the plants – dissections
- Deliver some flowers on Tuesday for this activity
- Hand out for plant parts to support
Week 6 (Dr. Theo) – July 18
- Overall Topic: Agribusiness and Ag Econ
- Content and Context: Personal finance
- What kinds of expenses do you have, your parents
- How much does it cost to get that apple sauce cup or apple at the store?
- Content and Context: Small Business planning/start up
- Activity
- What is entrepreneurship? Are you one? Do you want to be one – find a self survey of some sort about characteristics of entrep.
- Activity
- Bean game – budgeting game
Project Activities
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation summary:
These activities, especially on farm visits, educational sessions, and presentations all relate to the summer programming we are doing with the youth at the project partner Felege Hiywot Center. In this case the youth are the farmers, and weekly sessions are provided in the summer, along with visits from ag professionals, and consultations throughout the year.
Learning Outcomes
- Sustainable Agriculture in Urban Setting
- Soils and Composting
- Niche Markets, Specialty Farms
- PONICS - hydro, aero, and aqua
- Value added production for vegetables and specialty crops
- Plant science concepts - plant nutrition, plant propagation, plant cell processes
- Plant Improvement - new fruit varieties - how they are made and where they come from and where grown
- Food Science and Food Safety
- Business Planning and Entrepenuership
- Life skills, career exploration
Project Outcomes
building effective working partnerships that can manage changes and challenges with respect and accountability.
youth as farmers have been provided with content and context of sustainable agriculture to help them evaluate career options, several changed their direction.