Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience for this project includes: Elementary and Secondary School Students in the Troy and Genesee School Districts (Idaho): These studentsdirectly benefit from improved access to local, nutritious food, hands-on learning experiences through school gardens, and enhanced curricula focusing on agriculture, nutrition, and sustainability. High school students also participate in leadership and entrepreneurial activities. Teachers and Educators: Teachers are engaged in delivering integrated food, garden, and nutrition curricula, and will receive support in incorporating experiential learning into their classrooms, particularly through the expansion of school gardens as outdoor learning environments. Parents and Families: Familiesbenefit from at-home gardening initiatives and increased availability of healthy food options through school and weekend meal programs, helping to reinforce healthy eating habits at home. Local Farmers and Food Producers: Regional producers arekey partners in supplying fresh produce and pulses for school snacks and weekend kits. Secondary audiences include: School District Administrators: They support and implement the integration of local foods into school meals and snacks. Changes/Problems:One of the major challenges faced by the project has been the unexpected departure of Dr. Nav Ghimire, who was originally responsible for conducting the program's evaluation. Since his departure, we have actively sought a replacement. Although we initially partnered with an external consulting firm, the lengthy administrative process resulted in significant delays, and the firm ultimately declined to proceed with the project. We are currently still in the process of identifying a suitable evaluator. A second challenge involves sourcing produce from local farmers. Many of the producers in our area operate on a small scale and are unable to fulfill the entire volume of our requests in a single delivery. This has required our team to coordinate with multiple suppliers for each distribution, often resulting in staggered deliveries across multiple days depending on product availability. This has significantly increased the logistical workload for our team. A third issue relates to student worker availability. Because deliveries must occur during school hours--and are contingent upon both produce availability and our student assistants' schedules--coordinating these logistics has proven to be difficult and burdensome. To address these challenges, we are reevaluating our approach and will make adjustments to improve efficiency and coordination as we enter the second year of the program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Five undergradaute students worked on the project at various times this reporting year.These students gained hands-on training and professional development in food systems education, community outreach, and youth engagement. They were actively involved in the development of educational materials, planning and executing classroom activities, and coordinating produce and soup packet deliveries. These experiences strengthened their skills in curriculum design, communication, and project management, which willprepare them for future careers in education, agriculture, nutrition, and outreach-related fields. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results and impact of the PEARS project have been disseminated mainly in the two followingways: 1. Educational materials developed for each produce and soup packet delivery were distributed directly to students and their families, including take-home resources and recipes that encouraged continued engagement outside the classroom. These materials were intentionally designed to be accessible and culturally relevant, helping reach audiences who may not traditionally engage with academic or research-based content. 2. In-class presentations and activities led by project team and undergraduate interns provided a platform for direct knowledge transfer to elementary and FFA students. Poster-making projects and classroom displays offered visible representations of student learning and reinforced key concepts for peers, parents, and teachers. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Starting in Summer 2025, we will implement the summer program as outlined in the proposal. We will also diversify the fruit/vegetable and soup packet selections based on feedbacks. We will continue to conduct the weekly food delvieries to Troy and Genesee school districts. We will revise project materials to make them more interactive. We will conduct more workshops and teaching sessions.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. Increasing Access to and Consumption of Local Food: The project successfully increased students' exposure to local foods by integrating seasonal fruit and vegetabledeliveries into elementary school classrooms in Troy and Genesee during Fall 2024. Each delivery was accompanied by tailored educational materials, allowing students to engage more deeply with what they were eating. In Spring 2025, soup packets using locally-sourced pulses were distributed, which reinforced the theme of local food access beyond the school day. Students not only consumed local products but also learned about their origins, nutritional value, and role in the local economy. Tastings of fresh produce and soup packets helped make local foods more familiar and appealing, contributing to increased acceptance and enthusiasm. 2. Enhancing Agricultural Knowledge and Developing Student Skills: Multiple interactive educational sessions were delivered to elementary and FFA students, covering topics such as local food production, regional agricultural products, nutrition, and marketing. In 4th-grade classrooms, students explored the food system through hands-on activities likeposter creation. For FFA youth, we hosted workshops in marketing and agribusiness, which introduced foundational business and leadership skills. These activities alignwith the objective of preparing students for potential roles in agriculture-related fields. 3. Curriculum Development and Experiential Learning: The team created integrated educational materials for each delivery (fruits/vegetables and soup packets) that aligned with food and nutrition education goals. These materials were not only informational but also activity-based, supporting learning outcomes across different grade levels. The project also used school gardens as outdoor classrooms, connecting students to hands-on learning experiences about plant growth, food origins, and environmental sustainability.

Publications