Permaculture Design Training for Urban Youth Farm Design Plan

Project Overview

FNC20-1246
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2020: $9,000.00
Projected End Date: 01/31/2022
Grant Recipient: SLP SEEDS
Region: North Central
State: Minnesota
Project Coordinator:
Julie Rappaport
Email
SLP SEEDS (aka Seeds Feeds)

Information Products

Duck Habitat plant list (Conference/Presentation Material)
SLP Seeds Introduction to Permaculture - You Tube Video (Video)
Urban Apple Tree Polyculture (Conference/Presentation Material)

Commodities

Not commodity specific

Practices

  • Education and Training: farmer to farmer, focus group, study circle, workshop
  • Production Systems: permaculture
  • Sustainable Communities: community planning, ethnic differences/cultural and demographic change, partnerships, public participation, social capital, social networks, social psychological indicators, urban agriculture

    Summary:

    This proposal addresses the lack of education connecting urban youth (and adults) to nature and food. SLP SEEDS proposes training 10-15 high school youth and community members in Permaculture Design to culminate with a plan for an Urban Educational Youth Farm.

    Permaculture Design is a stewardship lens clarifying how to work with nature to create abundance and resiliency, connecting participants with nature and food while teaching ‘systems design’ that addresses the community’s needs alongside the available environment. Community Engagement will be employed in assessing needs. 

    The project will empower individuals or teams to design an Educational Urban Youth Farm. Site evaluations will be conducted and contracts pursued with the school district and sponsoring local corporations and organizations before 2021. Several schools and affordable housing complexes are in discussions as a final site partner for the permaculture participants’ final designs.

    A community presentation in April, 2021, will culminate this project design demonstration to cull the best of the designs into a final plan for the chosen site.

    Social responsibility describes the Three Ethics of Permaculture: Care for Earth, Care for People, and Share the Surplus. Permaculture also addresses regenerative economics, social and food justice, and economic viability of Urban Agriculture.

    Project objectives:

    The main objective is to educate and connect 10-15 high school youth and adults to nature and their food, as well as building a foundational understanding for participants in designing an Urban Agriculture Educational Youth Farm.

    Another objective is the site evaluation, selection and contracting of the farm space to be conducted with participants, community members and landowners as part of the education process. 

    The culminating objective is a completed Educational Urban Youth Farm Plan, designed by course participants yet guided by community engagement.

    This proposal also covers administrative personnel costs in recruitment, coordination, site research, evaluation and contract negotiation.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.