Educating Youth in Sustainable Farming and Value Added Production.

Project Overview

YENC20-150
Project Type: Youth Educator
Funds awarded in 2020: $3,981.00
Projected End Date: 01/31/2022
Grant Recipient: New City Neighbors
Region: North Central
State: Michigan
Project Manager:
Lance Kraai
New City Neighbors

Information Products

Commodities

Not commodity specific

Practices

  • Education and Training: demonstration, youth education

    Proposal abstract:

    This project will introduce urban youth from elementary through high school to sustainable farming and value added production. Fourteen high school youth will participate in hands-on curriculum and field trips around sustainable organic farming and value added production. They will also gain experience by being employed on our three-acre CSA vegetable urban farm, and at our outdoor cafe that produces farm-to-table pizzas, soups, salads and baked goods. These trained high youth will then develop and implement an introduction-to-gardening-and-cooking club for twelve elementary and ten middle school youth.

    Project objectives from proposal:

    1. Introduce youth to sustainable organic vegetable growing through a hands-on curriculum.
    2. Introduce youth to value-added production through a farm-to-table curriculum that will teach wood-fired pizza making, soup production and food preserving.
    3. Provide seasonal employment for urban youth in sustainable agriculture and value added production. 
    4. Introduce elementary and middle school youth to gardening and cooking through a club led by their high school peers.
    5. Train high school students in how to teach gardening and cooking to younger youth.
    6. Expose youth of color to adult people of color who own sustainable farms or farm-to-table establishments.
    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.