Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The Community Garden Network is targeting low-income residents of Athens-Clarke County, specifically those who lack access to healthy, nutritious food. According to the USDA Food Desert Map, 11 of the 17 census tracts in Athens-Clarke County are officially recognized as "food deserts." The poverty rate in Athens-Clarke County is 34.6%, which equates to over 30,000 individuals living in poverty. Over 5,000 children in the community are living in poverty. In the neighborhood where the West Broad Market Garden is located, the poverty rate is 57% for all people and 90% for female-headed households.The percentage of free or reduced lunch participants in the local school system is 81.86%, with a quarter of the schools having more than 90% of students receiving free or reduced lunches. According to County Roadmaps to Health, 21% of families in Athens-Clarke County have food insecurity, and these are the families that we are targeting with the Community Garden Network Program. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? There have been many opportunities for training and professional development both for the participants, volunteers and staff. These opportunities included national conferences on gardening, monthly workshops for gardeners and volunteers, and ongoing training opportunities from University of Georgia and Cooperative Extension personnel. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results of the Community Garden Network have been disseminated through the Athens Land Trust newsletter, website, e-newsletter, information sheets, brochures, press releases, and reports to partners. We have also presented progress reports at several national conferences.We plan to compile the final results into a report with photos and graphics that can be provided to the community, participants, and partners. Our collaborators have also published the results of the program in their publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
At the end of the grant period, the Athens Community Garden Network consisted of 15 satellite community gardens, 21 school gardens and three hub/demonstration gardens, one of which is a market garden. The 15 satellite community gardens are located in a wide variety of low-income neighborhoods and locations: an urban African-American church, a mobile home park of mostly Latino families and some African-American families, two apartment complexes that house low-income residents, a subsidized senior housing community, several social service agencies and others. These gardens provided the opportunity for people to learn to grow food for themselves and their families.During the third year, 2,081 pounds of fruits and vegetables were harvested for the families of about 76 gardeners or prepared and then provided to people through Meals on Wheels, Our Daily Bread, or in the cafeteria of the senior housing. During the first year, the CGN staff developed a toolkit that provided information on how to set up and maintain a neighborhood garden. This included policies and procedures, technical information on gardening in our region, and a list of resources. The school gardens are located at each of the 21 schools in the Clarke County School District. One of the partners in the Community Garden Network is Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful. In the first year, 258 volunteers provided 1,032 hours of assistance with 16 school garden projects, and this past year 638 volunteers provided 1,719 hours on 20 school garden projects. During the second year, more than 50 school classes participated in over 1,000 garden-based activities, and this year 88 classrooms participated in lessons centered on planting, using school gardens for teaching, and garden-based nutrition activities. The hub/demonstration gardens have been very important to the success of the Community Garden Network. Due to zoning issues, community gardeners were not able to sell their excess produce at the garden sites. With the support of the local school district, Athens Land Trust in March 2012 established a Market Garden and demonstration garden on the former playground of a vacant African-American school on Athens’ main street and in the city’s poorest neighborhood. The school, known as the West Broad School, has a history of agricultural education dating back to 1904 when the principal started garden plots for underprivileged children to grow food for their families and initiated evening classes for adults in cooking and agriculture. The West Broad Market Garden has transformed and revitalized the area and reconnected the African-American community to their agricultural heritage. Several older community members are growing food at the West Broad Market Garden, which hosts a Community Supported Agriculture Program, a weekly produce stand, and now a Farmers Market. The West Broad Market Garden is a half-acre garden area with in-ground plantings, raised beds, a hoop house, and greenhouse that produced 6,000 pounds of vegetables the first year and 7,156 pounds this past year. The West Broad Market Garden is a demonstration site that hosts the monthly sustainable agriculture workshops for community gardeners and the general public. The Market Garden is providing entrepreneurship opportunities and training for 6 African-American individuals and for 20 at-risk youth in the Young Urban Farmer Development Program, who attend the alternative public high school in the neighborhood. Another demonstration garden was established as the Athens Community Council on Aging. This garden, along with the other garden on the site, produced 834.5 pounds of fresh vegetables for the Meals on Wheels Program and the Center for Active Living last year. The University of Georgia’s Department of Horticulture has a teaching garden known as UGArden that served as a third demonstration garden. Fresh vegetables from UGArden were also used for Meals on Wheels or donated to local food banks. Ten African-American and Asian families have participated in the incubation program there. They maintained their own plots and sold the food to a local grocery store and at the West Broad Farmers Market. Additionally, 28 farmers participated in agriculture business development workshops. Regarding food distribution, the Community Garden Network developed gardens on the sites of churches and social service agencies that provide food and shelter. These included Athens Community Council on Aging, Athens Area Homeless Shelter, Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, AIDS Athens, Hill Chapel Baptist Food Pantry, and others. Additional food was donated from West Broad Market Garden and UGArden for these agencies. Our goal was that 10% of the food grown in community gardens would be donated for distribution or meal preparation for very low-income families, and we greatly exceeded that goal. We have estimated that about 800 people received fresh food or were served meals using fresh produce from all the gardens. Another goal was to improve the nutrition of low-income seniors. During the past three years, fresh produce grown at the two gardens at the Council on Aging has been used in the Meals on Wheels Program that serves close to 400 people. Last year the gardens provided 834.5 pounds of produce. In addition, the residents of Athens Gardens, a senior housing community, ate meals prepared with the 904 pounds of vegetables grown in their onsite garden. Increasing awareness of locally grown food and nutrition among low-income adults and children was another goal of the Community Garden Network. Nutrition, wellness, and the importance of eating fresh vegetables and fruits are a major focus of the Community Garden Network. All of the 76 community gardeners, the 50 seniors at the Athens Community Council on Aging’s Center for Active Living, and the clients of the various agencies mentioned above received nutrition education. The school garden program has provided nutrition education for more than 138 classes. We estimate that these garden-based lessons reached over 2,000 children. Over 50 children participated in a Junior Master Gardener Program in a mobile home park with mostly Latino and some African-American families. There are also several ongoing Junior Master Gardener Programs in three local elementary schools. The collaboration of many partners was another successful part of this grant. During the three-year period, UGA Horticulture students provided 13,345 hours of labor (an average of 4,448 per year), Master Gardeners provided 1,268 hours of instruction and assistance, and volunteers through Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful volunteered 3,851 hours in school gardens.In addition, over 27 UGA interns in the fields of Landscape Architecture, Ag Leadership, Horticulture, Social Work, and Public Health provided over 1,000 hours of volunteer support.Other schools in the area also provided interns. One student intern from the University of North Georgia provided over 200 hours of assistance to the Community Garden Network. The Clarke County School District provided the space for the West Broad Market Garden, as well as all of the school gardens. UGA provided compost and space for the incubator program at UGArden. The Council on Aging provided space for two gardens on their site. Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful also provided the tools for more than 80 volunteer workdays at school and community gardens through their Mobile Toolshed Program.The Cooperative Extension Program provided educational programs on all aspects of gardening. Participants in the Community Garden Network were surveyed to determine if the program produced the desired outcomes. Overall, participants agreed that their involvement in the Community Garden Network has increased their sense of community, improved their gardening skills, increased their sense of pride in growing their own food, and has had a positive impact on their health and nutrition.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: During the second year, the Community Garden Network expanded to include 13 community gardens, 2 gardens at the Athens Community Council on Aging, 21 school gardens, and a market garden. A big accomplishment for the year was the establishment of the West Broad Market Garden, which is located on the site of a vacant historic school for African-Americans in the heart of Athens' poorest neighborhood. Because of the school's importance to black Athenians and its visibility on Athens's main street, with 27,700 cars passing by each day, the West Broad Market Garden has become a focal point for our community. An opening celebration in June was attended by more than 100 people, including local and state officials and many people who had attended the school as children. A produce stand was opened in July and has served 150 customers. The amount of produce grown at the Market Garden is 2,900 pounds. Local churches received donations of over 600 pounds and served about 250 people through their food pantry and soup kitchen. The hub garden at the Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA) was expanded to an unused parking lot on the site. Due to the condition of the soil, 18 raised beds were constructed by University of Georgia (UGA) Horticulture students and community volunteers. In addition, the Garden Club of 8 seniors has continued to meet twice a month to tend the wheelchair accessible garden. Approximately 767 pounds of produce were harvested at these ACCA gardens and provided fresh food for seniors. New gardens were established at several locations, including a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, and a senior residential center. Gardens in the network received volunteer help with building raised beds or tilling soil, and supplies such as compost and mulch, seeds, plants, tools, rain barrels, and fencing as needed. Onsite training and support were provided at frequent workdays in the community gardens, resulting in 4,144 hours of activity by gardeners and volunteers. Of these hours, Athens Land Trust Garden staff provided 2,579 hours of education and direction to a total of 826 volunteers and gardeners. In addition, Market Garden staff provided 500 hours of hands-on garden and business training and supervised 1,350 hours of volunteer labor. Beginning in February, garden staff held a monthly workshop at a different garden each month and gave information on pest control, watering, seed sowing, plant rotation and other topics to a total of 93 attendees. Three training sessions on agriculture and business planning were presented by the local Extension agent, with 35 attendees. Each garden has a toolkit that provides planting schedules, crop information, and a harvest log. More than 65 gardeners worked in community gardens during the year, harvesting over 850 pounds of vegetables and fruits. UGA Horticulture's Garden harvested 3,860 pounds of produce that were distributed to the local food bank, soup kitchens, and senior meal delivery programs. In addition, more than 50 school classes participated in over 1,000 garden-based lessons in the local school system, and a Junior Master Gardener Program was held for 50 Latino children living in a mobile home park. PARTICIPANTS: At the end of the second year, there are gardens located at churches, schools, the senior center, a senior housing development, apartment complexes, a Latino mobile home park, two agencies for the homeless, a soup kitchen, and the Athens Land Trust office. The many partners that make up the Community Garden Network continued or expanded their support. The advisory board of partners and the School Garden Committee continued to meet monthly to provide guidance and coordination. UGA Horticulture Department provided assistance in a number of ways: support of faculty with expertise in vegetable production; 4,809 hours of student volunteer labor; and donations of seed, plants, and compost. During the second year, the Athens-Clarke County Extension Office continued to provide training in gardening, nutrition, pest management, and how to start a business. In addition, 20 local Master Gardeners contributed 615 hours volunteering in community gardens and working with the Junior Master Gardener Programs in three elementary schools. Another 1,100 volunteer hours were spent on school garden activities. The Clarke County School District is providing the site for the West Broad Market Garden at no cost. Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA) is providing space on their site for the current and proposed hub gardens. They have also provided staff time and meeting space for large events. Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB) purchased tools for the mobile "ToolShed" that was purchased with NIFA grant funds. Other partners include P.L.A.C.E. (Promoting Local Agriculture and Cultural Experiences), Hill Chapel Baptist Church, Evergreen Church, UGA Service Ambassadors, LEAD Athens, Hands On Northeast Georgia, each of whom made significant contributions and volunteer hours to specific CGN projects. The Athens Regional Library's satellite branch in the Pinewoods Mobile Home Park was the host for a Junior Master Garden Program. The Athens Homeless Shelter and Our Daily Bread gave support to the gardens established on their sites. Local Girl Scouts volunteered in a garden for the clients of the Interfaith Hospitality Network, a nonprofit organization that provides support for homeless families. We received a small grant from the American Community Gardening Association and a cash donation from an individual. TARGET AUDIENCES: The Community Garden Network is targeting low-income residents of Athens-Clarke County, specifically those who lack access to healthy, nutritious food. According to the USDA Food Desert Map, 11 of the 17 census tracts in Athens-Clarke County are officially recognized as "food deserts." Additionally, in 2009, the poverty rate in the County was 36.3 percent, which equates to over 33,000 individuals living in poverty. Children are disproportionately affected by poverty in the County, as 25.2 percent of the population under 18 years old lives in poverty, or nearly 5,000 poor children in the community. In the neighborhood where the West Broad Market Garden is located, the poverty rate is 57% for all people and 90% for female-headed households with children under 5. By bringing the market to the neighborhood and subsidizing the produce, we are trying to increase the low-income residents' access to fresh, nutritious food. Of the 150 customers of the Market Garden, we estimate that 40% are low-income residents. The goal of the Community Garden Network is to provide opportunities for residents living in poverty to grow their own food by providing access to land, soil amendments, seeds, plants, tools, and gardening education. Half of the participants who completed surveys have household incomes of less than $15,000, and 64% have a high school education or less. During the past year, the Athens Community Garden Network has worked with 34 Latino families, 18 African-American families, 13 white families, and 4 Asian families, in addition to the participants in the services at the Council on Aging and the programs for homeless persons. In the surveys that were administered, 25% said that they were not able to afford enough food to eat during the past 30 days. An additional three participants said that some of the time they were not able to afford to eat at all. Fifty-three percent reported that they were not able to afford enough of the kinds of food they wanted to eat "sometimes" to "always." These responses indicate that we are reaching our target audience, but we know there are additional people in need. Last year we reported that we wanted to be strategic about future gardens to be established. With new gardens at the homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, and a low-income senior housing development, as well as the West Broad Market Garden in Athens' poorest neighborhood, we are reaching many of the most vulnerable in our community. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Athens Land Trust again surveyed participants to determine knowledge gains as well as changes in attitudes and behaviors. Fifty surveys were completed. 73% said they learned a great deal or a good amount more about health and other diet-related issues. 79% said they learned more about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, 75% said they gained new gardening skills, and 76% said they learned more about how to work together with others. 89% said that their experience with the Community Gardening Network increased their appreciation for leading a healthy life and their appreciation for gardening, either a great deal or a good amount. Half of the participants said they felt a great deal more confident in their gardening skills and another 37% said they felt a good amount more confident about their gardening skills. 83% stated that they felt a stronger connection to their local community, and 66% said they felt more confident as a leader. 63% said they felt more able to affect change in their community as a result of their participation in a community garden. 89% said that the Community Garden Network helped them to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables (65% said a great deal and another 24% said a good amount). 83% said the Network helped them to provide healthy food for their family, and 80% said the Network helped them to be healthier. 56% were able to give food to other people, and 69% said it helped them make a greater difference in their community. 79% said that being involved in the Garden program improved the overall quality of their lives. Participants commented that they enjoyed working with other gardeners, and learning more about healthy eating and gardening skills. Several survey respondents said that they greatly enjoyed having fresh vegetables that they would not have had otherwise. Other gardeners commented that they saved money by having fresh vegetables that they grew themselves. Another impact of the Community Garden Network is an increase in access to fresh food for people in need. Fresh produce grown by the Network partners was distributed regularly to 85 participants of the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program. Another 160 individuals received fresh produce at the monthly food pantry at Hill Chapel Baptist Church. About 60 seniors who come to the ACCA day care center and another 45 senior residents of Athena Gardens also benefited from fresh produce. Even more fresh produce was donated this year to the Northeast Georgia Food Bank (1,900 pounds), Meals on Wheels (650 pounds), Our Daily Bread soup kitchen (180 pounds) and The Light's soup kitchen (600 pounds). Not including the Food Bank distribution, we estimate that these meal delivery programs served another 110 people. In addition, 1,964 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruits were sold at affordable prices to low-income residents of Fourth Street Village apartments and at the West Broad Market Garden. Still another outcome is that the growers at the West Broad Farmers Market benefited from additional income generated by the sale of produce at the Market.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: After hiring staff and establishing the Athens Community Garden Network (CGN), the Athens Land Trust (ALT) hosted a kickoff in December 2010 at the Athens Community Council on Aging. One of the first projects of the CGN was the establishment of a hub garden at the Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA). Since then, a Garden Club of 15 seniors has met twice a month, during which time the participants have received nutrition education and harvested over 150 pounds of produce. University of Georgia Horticulture students built the first phase of the garden adjacent to the Day Service Center with beds that are wheelchair accessible. A larger garden has been planned for an unused parking lot on the site; this garden will be comprised of raised beds due to the results of a soil test which reflected that the site was previously contaminated. The third phase of construction for the ACCA site includes the erection of a greenhouse. Concurrent with the establishment of the aforementioned garden, ALT began outreach activities in the community, using local media, making personal contacts, and working with our partners. ALT staff and a local Cooperative Extension Agent held a three-part workshop series during February and March entitled "How to Start a Community Garden." Workshop materials, including a garden notebook, were provided in both English and Spanish. ALT also conducted trainings in Spanish in two Latino neighborhoods--a large mobile home park and a duplex community. In these two communities CGN worked with a satellite of the local library and a Boys and Girls Club satellite program, respectively. Following the training workshops, new community gardens were established or enhanced at six sites (a local church, an apartment complex, a mobile home park, a duplex community, and two single-family neighborhoods.) The CGN provided student labor, built raised beds, tilled garden areas, delivered compost and mulch, and provided seeds, plants, tools, rain barrels, and fencing to each garden. Onsite training and support continued with monthly or weekly workdays. CGN staff provided over 250 hours of education and assistance in the gardens to more than 80 people from April through August. More than 30 families had plots in the satellite community gardens during the year, and participants harvested approximately 374 pounds of vegetables and fruits. Another of our Network gardens, UGA Department of Horticulture's UGArden, harvested 2082 pounds of produce, which were distributed to the Northeast Georgia Food Bank and to Campus Kitchen, a University-based organization which prepared food for the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program at the Athens Community Council on Aging. Plans for a market garden are underway. CGN identified a site, but zoning regulations prohibited the use of the site for the market garden. CGN is working with County staff and Commissioners to overcome this obstacle and is exploring sites that are in compliance with current ordinances. At the end of the first year, the Community Garden Network is comprised of 11 community gardens and 15 school gardens. PARTICIPANTS: To support the CGN, ALT established an advisory board of partners that meets monthly to provide guidance and coordination. In addition, a School Garden Committee was established to coordinate CGN efforts in the local school system. The University of Georgia Horticulture Department provided assistance in a number of ways: through the support of faculty with expertise in vegetable production; through 865 students in five different service-learning courses who provided 4,061 hours of student volunteer labor; and through the provision of after-school activities at local elementary schools related to gardening and nutrition. Another partner, ACTION, Inc. provided a cash match of $3,000 during the first year of the grant specifically to buy supplies for the hub garden at the Athens Community Council on Aging. The Athens-Clarke County Extension Office provided training in gardening, nutrition, and pest management. In addition 25 local Master Gardeners contributed 653.5 hours volunteering in community gardens and working with the Junior Master Gardener Programs in three elementary schools. Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA) is providing space on their site for the current and proposed hub gardens. They have also provided staff time, meeting space for large events, and a tool shed for the garden built by ACCA supporters. Funds from the NIFA grant purchased tools and a trailer to support a mobile "ToolShed" program administered by Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB). In addition, KACCB coordinates the "Green School" Program which included 16 school projects, with 258 volunteers providing 1032 hours. P.L.A.C.E. (Promoting Local Agriculture and Cultural Experiences), a non-profit organization that promotes a strong, accessible local food culture in Athens and which is responsible for revitalizing the Athens Farmers' Market, supported the Network by advising on future marketing opportunities for participants. Other partners include Hill Chapel Baptist Church, the Athens Permaculture group, UGA Service Ambassadors and Hands On Northeast Georgia, each of which made significant contributions to specific CGN projects. In terms of additional funding, the Athens Area Community Foundation provided $3,000, Toys R Us Foundation donated $5,000, and Junior League of Athens gave $2,500 to support the Network's efforts to improve childhood nutrition. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for the Community Garden Network is low-income residents of Athens-Clarke County, specifically those who lack access to healthy, nutritious food. According to the USDA Food Desert Map, 11 of the 17 census tracts in Athens-Clarke County are officially recognized as "food deserts". Additionally, in 2009, the poverty rate in the County was 36.3 percent, which equates to over 33,000 individuals living in poverty. And though it is reasonable to suggest that University of Georgia students account for some of the poverty population in Athens-Clarke County, even when the student population is accounted for, the poverty rate for the county remains 23.5 percent - which is 81 percent higher than the state rate. It is also worth noting that children are disproportionately affected by poverty in Athens-Clarke County, as 25.2 percent of the population under 18 years old lives in poverty, which translates into nearly 5,000 poor children in the community. The goal of the Community Garden Network is to provide opportunities for residents living in poverty to grow their own food by providing access to land, soil amendments, seeds, plants, tools, and gardening education. During the past year, the Athens Community Garden Network has worked with 14 Latino families living in a mobile home park and a duplex community; 16 African-American families at several sites; 9 white families at an apartment complex; and participants at the Council on Aging. Of the aforementioned surveys, which were given to 30 participants, all were returned with some comments. Of the 19 detailed respondents, five said that they were not able to afford enough food to eat during the past 30 days, and four reported that this was true "often" or "sometimes." An additional five participants said that they were not able to afford to eat at all some of the time. Seventeen reported that they were not able to afford enough of the kinds of food they wanted to eat "sometimes" to "always." In response to these findings, the CGN has mapped out areas of affordable housing in the community and food deserts to identify potential sites for future gardens. CGN staff are working with the local Housing Authority and other subsidized rental housing providers to establish gardens in these low-income communities. A secondary goal of the project is to grow fresh food that can be distributed to families and children in poverty. Fresh produce grown by the Network partners was distributed regularly to 65 participants of the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program. Another 160 individuals received fresh produce at the weekly food pantry at Hill Chapel Baptist Church. In addition, a portion of the 2082 pounds of produce raised at the UGArden was distributed through the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. Network staff and partners are also working with the local school district to make produce grown in school gardens accessible in school lunches. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Utilizing an adapted version of the Indicators of Success survey instrument, CGN participants were surveyed to determine knowledge gains as well as changes in attitudes and behaviors. Fifty-nine percent said they learned a great deal more about health and other diet-related issues and another 32% said they learned a good amount about health and diet-related issues. Fifty-six percent said they learned a great deal about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, and 36% said they learned a good amount. Sixty-five percent said they gained a great deal of new gardening skills, and 26% said they gained a good amount of new gardening skills. Ninety-five percent said they learned a great deal or a good amount about how to work together with others. Ninety-five percent said that their experience with the Community Gardening Network increased their appreciation for leading a healthy life and their appreciation for gardening, either a great deal or a good amount. Sixty-five percent said they felt a great deal more confident in their gardening skills and another 30% said they felt a good amount more confident about their gardening skills. Ninety-four percent stated that they felt a strong connection to their local community, more confident as a leader, and more able to affect change in their community as a result of their participation in a community garden. Sixty-eight percent said that the Community Garden Network helped them to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables a great deal and another 28% said a good amount. Ninety percent said the Network helped them to provide healthy food for their family, be healthier, give food to other people, make a greater difference in their community and improve the overall quality of their lives. Participants commented that they enjoyed networking with other gardeners, sharing gardening techniques, and working toward a common goal. Several gardeners commented that they saved money by having fresh vegetables that they grew themselves. Others were pleased to be able to donate fresh produce to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and people who came for the weekly food distribution at their church. A positive outcome for several gardeners was seeing the interest, enthusiasm, and responsibility that was shown by the children.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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