Final report for YENC17-117
Project Information
The proposed project included education and hands-on training of Junior High students and teachers in food production with an emphasis on conservation of natural resources. An experienced local farmer specializing in restoration agriculture spent one farming cycle training students and staff. The goal was to expand local food production and facilitate hands-on knowledge of environmental stewardship. Each week, classroom lessons were augmented by landwork that supported academic lessons.
Farmer and educator, Theri Niemier from Bertrand Farm, was hired by Good Shepherd Montessori School (GSMS) to teach two semesters of agriculture classes to Jr. high students and faculty and extend the school's urban farming environment. In addition to the educational objectives of the project (i.e., student/parent/staff applied farm and environmental education), another objective was to position GSMS to be competitive for an NCR-SARE R&E grant proposal as a follow on from the current project.
Cooperators
- (Educator)
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation summary:
GSMS Jr. High Students and Teachers participated in 24 restoration agriculture themed classes over two semesters. Weekly classes on Tuesday or Thursday from 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. included indoor learning followed by outdoor applications on the school grounds. Classroom hours included educational Power Point presentations, readings, video and YouTube viewing, and demonstrations to introduce themes and practices of sustainable farming with emphasis on conservation of nature including:
- Agriculture Systems that harvest sun and sequester carbon with a focus on Permaculture design
- Water Conservation
- Perennial and annual farming.
- Irrigation – water capture
- Mulching
- Crop rotation
- Composting/ Compost tea/Vermiculture
- No till Philosophy
- Cover crops
- Seed saving of heirloom and open pollinated seeds
- Season Extension Fall and Spring
- Preserving produce
Outdoor work included expanding food production from 1/10 of an acre to 1-acre intensive fruit and vegetable production. With the help of our greater community during over four scheduled workshops on Saturday mornings, we included installing a rain capture system for irrigation, creating a compost system for fertility and adding a small hoop house structure for season extension.
Students gained a clear understanding of what industrial agriculture is and how it compares to restoration agriculture. They now understanding the relationship that agriculture has to health, personal and environmental and the interconnected relationship thereof. Students have shown a proficiency, measured by testing, of understanding the role of plant life, especially perennial plants, in sequestering carbon and contributing to environmental restoration.
Work from the project was incorporated into presentations at the junior high's annual academic conference that was held in 2017 at Good Shepherd Montessori School. The theme of the conference was "water". It is estimated that between 50 - 75 members of the wider community were in attendance.
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
Good Shepherd has always had an emphasis on environmental education through farm work; however, this project significantly boosted the presence of environmental education on the GSMS campus. It has been an important step in building a strong, dynamic urban farm environment and has brought students, parents, and administrators together to pursue this mission.
Several parents have commented on student learnings and dinner table conversation as a direct result of this project. One lesson stands out; The student suggested to her family that they discontinue eating cereals for breakfast as a recent lesson on food miles indicated her family’s choice in cereal was environmentally expensive and lacked nutrition. The student went on to spread the word about food miles and transportation costs that food have, often unrelated to the actual dollar prices. As a result, her parent reports looking at alternative breakfast choices including more whole foods and shopping at the local farmers market.