Strengthening Community Soil Literacy through Compost Education and Regenerative Garden Support

Commodities

Practices

I work with communities that struggle to find food support and face limited supply of fresh produce, and very little exposure to soil or compost education. Many families in Ypsilanti and Superior Township live in census tracts with low Opportunity Index scores that reflect long-term underinvestment, reduced educational resources, and limited outdoor learning spaces. Apple Ridge Park, one of my main garden sites, urgently needs consistent staffing, volunteer support, and reliable maintenance. At this time, almost all operational work falls on me, which creates an unsustainable workload and limits how often I can support families and schools. Without additional capacity, the site can't meet the growing demand for hands-on regenerative learning.

The region also faces challenges related to finding good food, declining early childhood literacy, and there are few outdoor classrooms where children learn through direct sensory experience. Many families do not understand how soil ecosystems function or how composting reduces waste and supports healthy plant growth. Schools want compost programs but lack staff and workable curriculum.

Other community growers face similar barriers, including volunteer shortages and limited youth engagement. Without added staffing support and wider distribution of the Junior Compost Certificate, these challenges will continue limiting soil-based learning.

My project offers a regenerative agriculture and compost literacy program that strengthens garden capacity, expands youth education, and supports community members in building soil knowledge and long-term food resilience. Apple Ridge Park and Clay Hill Community Farm will serve as the primary teaching sites, functioning as both production spaces and outdoor classrooms. Through this work, I aim to reach families, schools, older adults, young children, and community gardeners who need hands-on exposure to regenerative practices. A central goal is to help at least sixty families establish home gardens so they can maintain a reliable food supply. Apple Ridge Park will act as the anchor site for teaching soil health, composting, green manure, comfrey use, and basic garden management.

The first part of my solution focuses on stabilizing Apple Ridge Park. This two-acre garden has strong potential but needs consistent staffing and volunteer support. Hiring a part-time project manager will allow the site to function reliably. This person will coordinate volunteers, organize tools and compost areas, manage planting and harvesting schedules, support data collection, and assist with soil health improvements. With these supports, the site can host more programs, expand learning opportunities, and remain safe and organized for families, children, and school groups.

The second part of the solution expands the Junior Compost Certificate program. This curriculum, which Joet and I created, is complete and ready for use in schools and community spaces. It teaches compost processes, soil organisms, decomposition, food waste handling, nutrient cycling, and ecological balance. As part of this work, I will introduce comfrey and green manure crops as simple regenerative tools. Comfrey leaves decompose quickly and enrich compost piles, while leafy green manure crops improve soil texture, moisture retention, and organic matter. These additions give families friendly and low-cost methods for rebuilding soil at home.

Lessons will include classroom presentations, hands-on sorting activities, compost demonstrations, soil organism observations, water conservation lessons, seed cleaning practices, and basic pest identification. Each activity connects compost literacy with practical soil-building skills that can be used in home or school gardens.

A major objective is bringing the Junior Compost Certificate to the Ford Early Learning Center, which serves about two hundred to two hundred thirty families with students in preschool through first grade. Introducing compost education at this age can spark early curiosity and soil awareness. Once students learn the material, I hope their families will begin adopting composting, comfrey mulching, green manure planting, and home gardening practices. After the initial rollout, I plan to extend the program to a nearby elementary school to broaden community reach.

Shared learning is central to my approach. Willow Run Acres welcomes learners of all ages and abilities, including individuals with disabilities. I will use adaptive tools such as raised beds, widened paths, and simplified tool kits to make outdoor learning welcoming and comfortable.

To support continuous learning, I will record lessons and demonstrations so students can review them at home. These recordings reinforce concepts and allow parents and family members to learn alongside their children. This ensures that families who can't attend in person can still learn.

My objectives include maintaining and improving the Apple Ridge Park garden, increasing the number of youth and adults receiving compost and soil education, supporting sixty families in developing their own gardens, strengthening soil health through improved compost and green manure practices, and expanding the Junior Compost Certificate to additional schools. By collecting data on food waste diverted, compost produced, soil improvements, and student engagement, I will refine instruction and demonstrate measurable benefits to the community.