Project Overview
YENC25-244
Project Type: Youth Educator
Funds awarded in 2025: $5,998.00
Projected End Date: 10/31/2026
Grant Recipient:
Prospect Hill Farm
Region: North Central
State: Michigan
Project Manager:
Ami Zijlstra
Prospect Hill Farm
Commodities
No commodities identified
Practices
No practices identified
Proposal abstract:
Our grant proposal seeks to educate youth about sustainable farming and career opportunities through a hands-on Food Forest project. Students will explore key concepts like permaculture, soil health, and water conservation while actively planting, maintaining, and harvesting crops. The project will introduce career paths in agriculture and environmental science through workshops and mentorship with local professionals. Additionally, it will foster community engagement, build leadership skills, and provide real-world experience in creating sustainable food systems. We are proposing that the SARE Youth Educator Grant funds will be used to cover PHASE 2 of this overall project.
Project objectives from proposal:
- Ecological Principles: Learn about biodiversity, soil health, water management, and plant relationships in a food forest system.
- Design & Implementation: Apply permaculture principles to design food forests with layers, companion plants, and perennials.
- Sustainable Practices: Explore agroecology, low-impact farming, and the benefits of perennial crops over annuals.
- Broader Impact: Understand food security, climate change mitigation, and local economic resilience through sustainable agriculture.
- Practical Skills: Develop skills in soil preparation, plant care, monitoring growth, and problem-solving.
- Community Engagement: Foster collaboration, critical thinking, and local outreach in sustainable agriculture education.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.