Sustainable Agriculture and Healthy Lives Day

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Education and Training: youth education, Sustainable Agriculture and Intergenerational Programming/Low Income Communities and Small Farmer Engagement
• Production Systems: organic agriculture
• Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems, social capital

The UMD Land Lab will host students from a Duluth supportive housing complex for families who have experienced pervasive homelessness for a day of sustainable agricultural activities and programming taught by local farmers and educators. Students gain hands-on experience including cover cropping a field, exploring the workings of a bee hive, adding plants to our food forest, harvesting vegetables, and tasting a variety of fresh vegetables as part of a nutrition workshop from Essentia Health, a healthcare provider with facilities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Students will go home with a bag of vegetables and recipes with preparation instructions.

1. Design programming targeted towards school aged youth through collaboration with farmers, conservation biologist, a nutrition expert, and public health students
2. Introduce 40 students to a working organic farm and related possible careers in the field (including basic concepts of sustainable agriculture, composting, cover crops, crop rotation, beekeeping, nutrition, agroforestry, and pollinator/beneficial insect plantings)
3. Serve a farm fresh meal and send students home with vegetables, recipes, and preparation instructions as part of a nutrition workshop from Essentia Health
4. After the event, host a community meal with students and their families including a discussion and learning circle 
5. Share curriculum and materials