Sustainable Agriculture and Healthy Lives Day

Project Overview

YENC21-161
Project Type: Youth Educator
Funds awarded in 2021: $3,550.00
Projected End Date: 01/31/2023
Grant Recipient: University of Minnesota Duluth Land Lab
Region: North Central
State: Minnesota
Project Manager:

Information Products

Commodities

Not commodity specific

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

    Proposal abstract:

    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.

    Project objectives from proposal:

    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
    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.