Harvest Hope Farm - Farm Camp on Wheels 2023

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: pollinator habitat
• Education and Training: youth education
• Production Systems: hydroponics
• Soil Management: composting
• Sustainable Communities: community services, partnerships, quality of life, urban agriculture

Farm Camp on Wheels will teach youth in summer school and Boys and Girls Club Programs about sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship on a weekly basis from early June to mid-August 2023 through the following methods:

• Use of Hydroponic Gardens in the classrooms - sampling and cooking
• STEM Projects revolving around the environment - including but not limited to: worms, bug larvae, composting
• One field day at Harvest Hope Farm to meet and learn about the animals, visit the pollinator garden and see the larger gardens in progress
• Forestry, food service and farming speakers for each classroom.

  

Summary:  This project served 126 youth from early June through mid-August at three summer programs.  Youth were ages 3-12 years old.  Each of the three programs had a hydroponic garden that exposed youth to growing and greens.  Additionally the following items were taught throughout the summer:

1. Bean plant project.  What do you need to grow a plant.
2. Cloud project:  Importance of water
3. Fleece and Fiber Demonstration:  Why are fleece and fiber important and where do they come from.
4. Animal visits:  Llamas, chickens and lambs visited the classrooms to teach about food sources, fiber sources and transportation of animals.
5. Composting: how to be good stewards to our environment
6. Field Day on the Farm:  Exposure to gardens, animals and a farm way of life.
7. Pollinators:  Why are bees and butterflies important for growing
8. Insects and worm:  how do these affect our soil.

Our approach was all hands-on.  The kids loved learning hands on.  From playing with wool, learning how to finger knit, petting the animals and making clouds, every session involved hands-on learning.  Learning was interactive and fun.  The youth involved in each program saw an increase in learning in an area that they are rarely exposed to.  81% of youth indicated an increase in awareness or learning during this summer program.

We conclude that Farm Camp on Wheels was a success in the summer school programs that we worked in and that youth should be exposed to agriculture practices in the classroom year around.  We are excited to say that we will be working in two of the three programs that we worked with this summer throughout the 2023-2024 school year within the classroom.  Learning at it's finest, hands-on and real life.

1. Educate 100 youth about the importance of sustainable food practices and environmental stewardship through the use of hydroponic gardens and a field day at Harvest Hope Farm.
2. Educate 15 preschool youth and their parents about the importance of exposing youth, at young ages, to healthy eating practices and how this can influence food choices as they grow up.  One preschool will be given a hydroponic garden to use for summer 2023 in an effort to teach youth and families that you can grow a garden anywhere.
3. Introduce youth to sustainable agriculture careers through guest speakers from various agriculture and food related careers during the field day at Harvest Hope Farm.