Cultivating Local Experts: Training Educators to Grow Community Gardens and Regenerative Food Systems on the Rosebud Reservation

Commodities

• Fruits: berries (brambles), berries (strawberries), grapes, melons, pears, plums
• Vegetables: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucurbits, eggplant, garlic, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), leeks, onions, parsnips, peas (culinary), peppers, radishes (culinary), rutabagas, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips
• Additional Plants: herbs, native plants, trees
• Animals: poultry
• Animal Products: eggs

Practices

• Crop Production: agroforestry, crop improvement and selection, crop rotation, food processing, high tunnels or hoop houses, irrigation, low tunnels, no-till, nutrient cycling, organic fertilizers, pollinator habitat, row covers (for season extension), seed saving, shade cloth, water management, windbreaks, winter storage
• Education and Training: mentoring, networking, study circle, workshop, youth education
• Farm Business Management: apprentice/intern training, new enterprise development
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity
• Pest Management: field monitoring/scouting, mulches - general, physical control, row covers (for pests), trap crops
• Production Systems: holistic management, organic agriculture, permaculture
• Soil Management: composting, organic matter, soil analysis
• Sustainable Communities: analysis of personal/family life, community development, community planning, community services, employment opportunities, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, food access and security, food sovereignty, leadership development, local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, partnerships, public participation, quality of life, social capital, social psychological indicators

On the Rosebud Reservation-where
grocery stores are scarce and nearly half of families live in
poverty-food insecurity is a daily reality. Community gardens have
often started with good intentions and funding but failed for one
reason: too few people with the knowledge and support to keep them
growing.

The Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud
will change that by training a new generation of Garden Gurus-Lakota youth who know how to
grow food, teach others, and build something that lasts.

This two-year professional
development program serves Indigenous teens growing up in one of
the nation's most persistent food deserts. Year One focuses on the
basics: planning, seed starting, planting, and harvesting. Year Two
layers in advanced skills-composting, pest management, soil
fertility, and season extension-while youth apply and share what
they learn in five community gardens and with local families.

Activities include: short skill-building
workshops, hands-on learning and teaching in community gardens, and
the creation of simple garden plans and "how-to" materials that
make growing food accessible for beginners.

By the end of the project,
10-15 credentialed Garden Gurus will be leading community and home
gardens, supported by hundreds of local youth and families. Five
community gardens will be thriving instead of fading. This project
fills a critical educational gap-turning short-term garden efforts
into long-term food security by equipping young people hungry for
change with the skills to feed their people and teach others to do
the same.

This project will create a
structured, replicable professional development model that combines
hands-on experience, formal instruction, and peer teaching to
strengthen food system education across the Rosebud
Reservation.

Training Outputs and
Participants
Over the two-year project, at least 10-15 participants will
complete the full training program and earn credentialing as
Garden Gurus-local
educators equipped to lead and sustain community-based garden
initiatives. Garden Gurus will gain practical skills in soil
fertility, composting, irrigation, crop planning, and annual and
perennial food production, as well as experience teaching others.
Each Guru will demonstrate competency through hands-on practice,
peer instruction, and participation in community workshops.

In addition to the core
cohort, approximately 20 community members at each of five
community gardens (roughly 100 individuals total) will engage in
seasonal workshops and field sessions. These participants will
receive guided support from Garden Gurus and BGCR staff as they
apply new techniques at their sites. Within the Boys & Girls Club
program itself, an estimated 400 youth will participate annually in
hands-on gardening and food-system activities led by the Garden
Gurus and staff.

Educational Products
Key educational products will include:

• A Garden Guru Training Curriculum, outlining
  lesson plans, activity guides, and seasonal workshop templates
  adaptable to other rural and tribal communities.

• A Beginner's Garden How-To Booklet with
  illustrated planting templates, supply lists, and a regional
  planting calendar-designed for new gardeners and schools starting
  small-scale plots.

• A Garden Guru Toolkit, containing composting
  guides, irrigation diagrams, seed-starting instructions, and
  checklists for running community garden programs.

• Presentation materials and handouts
  co-developed with SDSU Extension, Sicangu Co, and Sinte Gleska
  University for use in future training and outreach.

All materials will be
available in both digital and print formats to ensure accessibility
and will be shared with partner organizations and other youth
programs across the region.

Community and Partnership
Outputs
By the conclusion of the project, five community gardens will be
fully functioning demonstration sites managed collaboratively by
BGCR staff, Garden Gurus, and local volunteers. Each site will
serve as a living classroom for hands-on education, produce fresh
vegetables for local families, and host regular community workdays
and tours.

The project will also
formalize a regional partnership network among BGCR, SDSU
Extension, Sicangu Co, and Sinte Gleska University. This network
will meet quarterly to exchange data, coordinate educational
outreach, and align resources for continued garden-based
education.

At least two public field days
or demonstration tours per year will showcase project results,
highlight success stories, and distribute educational
materials.

Summary of Target Outputs

• 10-15 credentialed Garden
  Gurus trained and active.

• 5 community gardens
  successfully managed and producing.

• ≈100 community participants
  engaged in workshops.

• ≈400 youth reached annually
  through Club programs.

• 1 comprehensive training
  curriculum and 1 beginner booklet created and distributed.

• 4 public field days or
  demonstration events.

• Ongoing partnership network
  sustaining education beyond the grant period.