RIVERVIEW COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT SUSTAINABLE URBAN AGRICULTURE PROGRAM

View the project final report

Commodities

• Vegetables: onions, peppers, tomatoes
• Additional Plants: herbs

Practices

• Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, display, focus group, mentoring, networking, study circle, workshop, youth education
• Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, community-supported agriculture, farmers' markets/farm stands
• Soil Management: composting
• Sustainable Communities: analysis of personal/family life, community development, community services, food hubs, leadership development, partnerships, public participation, quality of life, social networks, social psychological indicators

This project educates youth on the 3 pillars of sustainable agriculture practices and careers by: 1) teaching environmental stewardship through creating a garden bed and using a curriculum, provided by the MSU 4-H program for Junior Master Gardners,   2) teaching profit over the long term by creating a "farm market" to sell the vegetables the students grew in the garden for the community, and 3) developing an understanding of the quality of life for farmers we will have a farmer present to the students, and the students will have direct experience working in agriculture by working in the garden. 

• To learn where their food comes,
• To connect with the land, 
• To learn the larger cycle of the food system from farm to table to table to compost to garden,
• To understand the relationship between food, cost, and the larger society,
• To learn how to share resources of food with others,
• To learn sustainability as the garden will be there every year, and the soil, and plants will grow and we will harvest every year and share with the community,
• To learn the connection between soil, water, environmental conditions, 
• To learn career pathways through direct experience, and develop passion