Farming To Improve Health, Increase Education and Promote Food Access Among Underserved Farmers, Students, and Adults Near Food Desert, Camden, NJ.

Commodities

• Agronomic: sunflower

Practices

• Animal Production: manure management
• Crop Production: conservation tillage, no-till
• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, workshop
• Farm Business Management: farmers' markets/farm stands
• Soil Management: earthworms
• Sustainable Communities: analysis of personal/family life, community services, leadership development, local and regional food systems, quality of life, social psychological indicators, food access and security, food loss and waste recovery/reduction

Tuba Farm has been reducing food insecurity and food waste in
southern NJ by promoting sustainable no-till farming since 2021.
Tuba is striving to become a leader among local community food
security programs located within 20 miles of Camden NJ. Tuba
hopes to advance its equity mission and measure the impact of its
farming efforts by developing this health, education, and access
program. Diet related diseases and stress are prevalent in
America, especially among underserved communities and farmers;
Tuba wants to measure if 2.5 hours of no-till farming per week
encourages mental and physical health improvements among
participants. Providing food and nutrition education encourages
healthier dietary choices and behaviors, lowering risk of diet
and stress related diseases. We’d like to confirm, “if you knew
better, you would do better”. Further, teaching participants how
to farm and grow, affordable food, for themselves and others,
proactively builds an equitable local food system that includes
new farmers from underserved communities. In alignment with our
mission, this program looks to reduce food insecurity among
underserved people, specifically BIPOC people, by improving
productivity and increasing the amount of healthy food grown for
consumption. By accomplishing food security and increased
community engagement, we improve the quality of life for farmers,
our families, participants, and the local farming community. In
addition to 2 BIPOC farmers, Tuba is seeking 4 adults, including
2 students, who are interested in learning to farm, while
potentially improving their health and receiving increased access
to healthy food.

The objectives of this no-till farming initiative are to improve
health outcomes, increase food/nutrition and farming education,
and encourage access and consumption of healthy food grown by
underserved farmers, our families, students, volunteers, and
community members within 20 miles of, local food desert, Camden,
NJ. This program will help build an equitable food system;
increase healthy food production and access; train and encourage
new farmers, encourage physically and mentally healthier
communities, and increase the propensity for BIPOC communities to
grow food sustainably, at a low-cost. Tackling health and food
insecurity, head-on.

This program looks to answer the following questions: Does
farming/gardening as a moderate intensity exercise, for at least
2.5 hours weekly, improve health outcomes? Does farming/gardening
as a moderate intensity exercise, for at least 2.5 hours weekly,
reduce stress? Does increasing food and nutrition knowledge
result in healthier choices? Does increased farm training improve
knowledge of low-cost, and sustainable agriculture methods? Does
increased farm training/workshops increase gardening/farming
self-confidence? Does growing your own food and increasing access
encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables? Does utilizing
Tuba Farm as a community gathering space, improve the number and
quality of social interactions and civic engagements?