Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience include Master Vegetable Gardener volunteers, youth leaders and Extension personnel, rural Alabama clientele, returning veterans faculty, students, community-based organizations, school garden leaders and faith-based organizations. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Project helped one community leader participatein the 6th National New Generation Symposium on June 16-18, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. The leader set up a booth among several vendors from around the nation at this Women Agricultural Symposium, entitled "Making a Change and Sustaining for the Future Generations". The produce at her booth was from the community garden that the project helped to establish in Sumter County. At the 73rd PAWC conference, December, 2015, 8 farmers participated and received training in the areas including issues addressing Community Food Security Through Local Food Systems, Small Farm Issues Including Land, Labor, Water and Expanding Markets, Agricultural and Rural Health and Safety, Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship, Agricultural Communication, Social Media and Technology and Innovative Programs for Youth, Farmers, Families and Communities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During each of the workshops, conferences and training sessions, training materials were organized into a package and distributed to the participants involved. PowerPoint presentations were also printed out and made available to the volunteer community garden leaders as well as other interested participants. Information was also disseminated through the project's facebook page. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This is the final report.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the Period April 2015 to August 2016, farmers and community garden volunteers were recruited and trained in several topics including presentations addressing Community Food Security Through Local Food Systems, Preparing the Next Generation of Agricultural Leadership and Women in Agriculture: Changing the Landscape of Agriculture. During the training sessions, volunteers went on farm and farmers market tours and hands-on demonstrations and attended in-class education. Twenty community garden leaders were recruited and trained during this period. Two new community gardens were established during 2015 in Sumter County. One with the Livingston Junior High School in Livingston, Alabama and another with Geiger Community Area Development located in the Town of Geiger, Alabama. OnMarch 15, 2016,the project organized and hosted a Farmers Market Workshop to assist farmers' market members and other individual farmers receive Farmers Certification for Senior Citizen Vouchers. This training took place in Eutaw, AL and some of the volunteer leaders that participated were certified to receive Senior Citizen Vouchers whenever they sell at the farmers markets. A network of different organization present at this workshop included the USDA offices, ASAC, ACES and the Alabama Farmers Market Authority office in Montgomery, Alabama.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Robinson, M. The Benefits and Challenges of Community Gardening in selected Alabama Black Belt Counties. Tuskegee University MS Thesis, July 2015.
|
Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience includes rural citizens of the Alabama Black belt region who are being provided gardening education to help improve their lives and lesson the impacts of "food deserts." The other group targeted are Extension Personnel and volunteers who will be trained and will with the Extension technology upgrade,help to strengthen the capacity of Tuskegee Extension to offer quality Extension educational programs to our rural clientele. Changes/Problems:The Community Garden Specialists that was hired largely through this project has resigned and moved on to another state's Extension program. In addition, the graduate student has completed his work and graduated in the summer of 2015. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided workshop opportunities to community garden volunteers, returning veterans at the nearby VA Hospital, elementary and high school as well as Tuskegee University students. Thirty-two (32)Committed volunteers were also recruited and received certification as Certified Vegetable Gardeners. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Throughnewsletters, extension bulletins, fact sheets and gardening curriculum. The project also established a community garden blog and a facebook web page. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Train 20 volunteers as Certified Vegetable Gardeners. Conduct hands on training in sustainability at our satellite demonstration community garden in Macon county for both Tuskegee University students and volunteers.Assist community garden volunteers at established gardens in Macon, Barbour, Bullock, Montgomery and Greene counties. We will conyinue to update theproject blog and facebook webpage with relevanextension material to facilitate gardening discussions
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Recruitment and Training: Three training workships (2 in macon and 1 in Tuscaloosa counties). About 55 farmers and community garden volunteers were recruited and trained in areas ofCommunity Food Security Through Local Food Systems, Veterans and AgroHealing, Preparing the Next Generation of Agricultural Leadership and Women in Agriculture: Changing the Landscape of Agriculture,Sustainable Rural Communities, One Family Farm at a Time, and Sustainable Vegetable Insect Pest Management Tactics for the South,Identification and Management of Diseases, Vegetable Pest Management, Small Growers Food Safety Certification. Extension Delivery System:Establishment of Science-Based Demonstration Gardens:The Sankofa Youth Program raised-beds successfully produced fresh nutritious vegetables, but the Forkland Senior Citizen Community Garden was re-established. The North Sumter Junior High School garden volunteers maintained their raised-beds and produced vegetables. Development and dissemination of educational resources:Educational resources were developed, someof which were compiled from different agencies such as Extension, presenters at workshops and conferences as well as those involved in this project. Materials were disseminated to participants, trainers, trainees and other interested clientele during workshop events. Educational materials included newsletters, extension bulletins, fact sheets and gardening curriculum..
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Randle, A. 2015. Old Tools for New Problems: Modifying Master Gardener Training to Improve Food Access in Rural Areas. Journal of Extension, 54(5).
|
Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Target audience incluse Master Gardener volunteers, Youth leaders and Extension personnel. Rural Alabama clientele, returning veteransfaculty and students. Changes/Problems: The original Project Director has left the University and the current Projecte Director received full notification of appointment in August of 2013. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project has provided workshop opportunities to community garden volunteers, returning veterans at the nearby VA Hospital, elementary and high school as well as Tuskegee University students. Committed volunteers were also recruited for upcoming 'master gardener" training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? So far results have been disseminated through workshops, seminars and on an one-and-one basis. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Train ten volunteers as part of the Certified Vegetable Gardener Workshop program. Prepare seven (7) new gardenscommunity gardensin areas defined as food deserts by the USDA for planting. Plan for establishment of five new gardens at Tuskegee Public Elementary School; AL Rural Ministries; Macon County Alabama Farmers Market in down toen Tuskegee; Montgomery community garden; and the Booker. T. Washington historic garden. Set up a project blog or webpagereplete with relevatnexisting extension material to facilitate gardening discussions.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A Project Manager job description was developed and advertized through Tuskegee University's Office of Human Resources and a qualified was selected and hired at 50% FTE. We also identified and selected one graduate student to focus mainly on the community gardens aspect of the project. A survey Community Garden instrument was developed and used to gauge interests and inputs from interested volunteers in the Blackbelt counties ofWest Alabama.Educational workshops and hands-on training ofcommunity garden volunteers and elementary school students were conducted
Publications
|
|