Learning on the Land: A Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook

View the project report

Commodities

Practices

• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, focus group, networking, workshop, youth education
• Farm Business Management: agritourism, new enterprise development
• Sustainable Communities: community development, community planning, community services, local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, social networks

The purpose of this project is to teach Texas farmers how to host successful, educational youth programming on their farm by co-developing a comprehensive handbook and field testing its contents. The vision for the Farm-Based Education Handbook stems from direct inquiries from Texas farmers looking for support in expanding their offerings. This handbook will be co-developed by the Texas Center for Local Food (TCLF) and a team of diverse Texas farmers who represent a range of backgrounds and skill sets, including  those new to farm-based education and those who already run successful programing. The team will craft the learning objectives, content outline, and review the handbook at different points of completion. 

The Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook will guide curious, community-minded farmers through a step-by-step process in creating successful farm-based education events. These events may include field trips, summer camps, and more. Handbook contents will be informed by farmer feedback, but we expect to include three sections: (1) Youth engagement strategies, (2) Farm exploration curriculum, and (3) Sample recipes. Our goal is to build an easily customizable curriculum broad enough to cover different operational farm types and regions across Texas. The curriculum will be modular, and accommodating to farms with limited resources, as lessons will not require specialized equipment or materials beyond common farm and household items. The handbook will also cover how to connect with student/youth groups, practical marketing tips, and example outreach materials. The handbook will be informed by, and complimentary to, two introductory Agritourism business courses on TXFED.org, TCLF’s online learning network. 

The Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook contributes to two of SARE’s sustainability pillars: profitability and quality of life. Farm-based education is a valuable opportunity for farmers to generate revenue, diversify income streams, and build community connections.

Farmers will be actively engaged throughout the process; TCLF will host two field day gatherings, reaching approximately 40 farmers to evaluate and improve the contents of the Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook. The field-day gatherings will be held at two different central Texas farm sites and be educational opportunities for farmers interested in learning how to host youth programs and wondering where to start. There will be ample time included at these field days to gather feedback from participants on the accessibility and applicability of the handbook’s curriculum. 

Throughout the project, TCLF will conduct outreach to disseminate the handbook and share lessons learned to a broader audience of Texas farmers and educators, reaching at least 100 people before the project end date. The final version of the handbook will be available as a free PDF download in Spanish and English. 

Equity is a critical part of our mission and has been intentionally designed into all of our programs. For the Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook, we will center diversity, equity, and inclusion in several ways: ensuring engagement and participation of historically underserved producers, prioritizing Spanish translation and outreach, ensuring the handbook and promotional materials follow accessibility standards, and covering materials, examples, and considerations for a diversity of farms and ranches.

1. Collaboratively develop a Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook with a team of four Texas farmers.
2. Host two field day gatherings reaching an expected 40 farmers to evaluate and improve the contents of the Texas Farm-Based Education Handbook.
3. Conduct outreach to disseminate the handbook and share lessons learned to a broader audience of Texas farmers and agricultural educators, reaching at least 100 people before the project end date.