Marshview Community Organic Farms - Young Farmers of the Lowcountry

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Education and Training: youth education
• Farm Business Management: community-supported agriculture

The project provided adult leadership and training to youth residing in a low income area on St. Helena Island. The areas focused on were:

a. Work ethic/self management (such as punctuality, reliability, and honesty)

b. Personal qualities/team cohesiveness (including taking initiative, helping the group succeed, dealing effectively with conflict, valuing diversity, and being courteous to customers)

c. Food production/marketing (growing and harvesting produce, cooking, nutrition, making and following a plan, tracking sales, and setting up displays).

Several farm workers facilitated the work schedules along with planting, irrigation needs and assisted with directing volunteers. We supplied organic produce to the community through a 30 member CSA. Involvement of adults from the community including 35 members of the Leroy Brown Senior citizen Center who would not normally have any interaction with the Farm and the youth who are being trained as part of the Marshview Community Organic Farm effort.
Provided an economically viable alternative for landowners to use their furrow land to grow seasonal crops.

Sara` Reynolds partnered with Coastal Community Corporation Development (CDC) to provide training to the youth participants. Twenty-six young people and 10 adults participated and presented in a farm retreat, focusing on “Stopping the onset of Juvenile Diabetes through nutritious food.” The youth were able to give their power point presentation using the LCD projector and hand held microphone. The End of the Year brochures were also passed out to all participants and placed at the (CDC) and other area agencies. The 15 youth seeded, transplanted, weeded, fertilized, harvested and marketed for 14 weeks, 30 baskets of seasoning fruits and vegetables to 30 Community Supported Agriculture members, including a weekly basket to the Senior Citizen Center and their families. From start to finish the youth participated in farm activities including making presentations to several groups (other farms, schools, churches) promoting health, nutrition and entrepreneurship. An additional program trained the youth to cook healthy traditional dishes with the assistance of local chefs William Green at the Coastal Community Development Corporation’s commercial kitchen. The youth prepared all the Gullah Style food for the retreat.

Improved economic, health, social, and cultural opportunities for the local community by use of the Marshview Community, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Organic Farm.

1. The CSA aspect of recruiting members to the project was accomplished through the combined efforts of several groups. The Coastal Conservation League, Unitarian Fellowship of Beaufort and the County contributed through publicity to attract members, members volunteered at the farm for a minimum of seven hours and help to distribute the weekly baskets at the Coastal Development Corporation.

2. Adult members, youth and their families promoted and consumed an abundance of local and organic foods due to the success of the project. Interaction included physically working at the farm, mentoring, researching different types of produce that were grown, interaction in the youth training program, analyzing the results of soil testing, and involvement in the youth cooking program.