Source: SOUTHERN UNIV submitted to NRP
ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINING AND DEVELOPING COMMUNITY GARDENS THROUGH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1001867
Grant No.
2013-38821-21402
Cumulative Award Amt.
$249,999.00
Proposal No.
2013-04061
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2013
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2018
Grant Year
2013
Program Code
[EWE]- Extension Project
Recipient Organization
SOUTHERN UNIV
(N/A)
BATON ROUGE,LA 70813
Performing Department
Youth Development
Non Technical Summary
The major issue that embraces this project is limited availability and access to fresh and locally grown fruit and vegetables. Lack of a nutritional and balanced diet along with growing obesity issues are among major problems experienced by the lower socio-economic communities. This project is centered on sustainable vegetable production and access to fresh vegetables year round in low income areas. Through this project, we will strengthen our extension capabilities, promote economic activities, and create an environment of better and healthier eating habits.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
30%
Developmental
60%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1020199101020%
8060199302080%
Goals / Objectives
The overall project goals are to enhance and strengthen our extension-research-teaching expertise in sustainable agricultural production of vegetable crops on small farms and urban gardens as well as to provide the nutritional benefits of locally grown food for inner city families and communities. The specific objectives of the project are: 1) Creat a model garden that will to serve as a demonstration plot for providing hands-on experience in farming. 2) Participants will be assisted in cultivating their gardens through innovative and economical technical assistance. 3) Provide participants farm to table and farm to market experience through hands-on training, cook-offs, farmers' markets, etc. In addition, the successful accomplishment of the project goals should pave the way for the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SUAREC or SU Ag Center) and Southern University college of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences (SUCAFCS) to attract and develop young research scientists, extension specialists and agricultural students for food and agricultural sciences workforce.
Project Methods
Dissemination of information will be achieved through workshops, field days and presentations at farmers' meetings. Fact sheets will be published in the SUAREC newsletter as bulletins and on the SUAREC and SCRI websites. The major beneficiaries of the program will be those who participate in the training workshops and field days. The Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives (SCRI) office in Opelousas, Louisiana is committed to assist all communities in its region to take advantage of this program. The plan for technology transfer will start with our clientele farmers who are served by the Southern University (SU) and the Louisiana State University (LSU) Cooperative Extension Programs. Clientele served by farm management specialists of the Louisiana Family Farm Technical Assistance Project (2501 Program) will also be involved. Community based organizations including the Southern Development Foundation (SDF) and Zachary Farmers Association will be invited to field days and demonstrations. Since the target audience is small scale farmers and gardeners, presentations will be given on various aspects of sustainable gardening practices. Other potential audiences include industry representatives, news media, scientists, health professionals, environmental advocates, and students. Extension activities accomplished through this project will be summarized in the SUAREC monthly Chancellor's report and annual USDA/NIFA report. Papers will be presented in local and national professional meetings, symposiums and seminars. Based on our project achievements and experience, educational materials will be developed to reach other growers in Louisiana and across the nation. Sustainable gardening information materials will be posted on the SUAREC and SCRI websites. Other educational materials in the form of brochures and videos will be produced.

Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audiences reached are: socially disadvantaged, limited resourced farmers, organic farmers, potential gardeners, incarcerated individuals and at-risk youth. Workshops and seminars were conducted through the course of the year in the parishes of St. Landry, St. Martin, Pointe Coupee, and Evangeline. Changes/Problems:Due to the resignation of project director, a new project director was designated to work with the co-project directors. Renovations had to bemade to the primary site (SARDI) in St. Landry Parish, therefore it wasdifficult to develop and maintain a garden until the completion. Another problem facing this project is acquiring and maintaining adequate gardening staff from the community, who are willing to work year-round. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The staff actively seeks opportunities for professional development through webinars and workshops, as well as extensive internet research. In addition, the staff also works outside of employment by volunteering with various gardening groups such as Urban Demonstration Farm during weekends. Communication and connection with retired extension agents and fellow community gardeners are also a part of staff professional development. Training and Professional Development topics include but are not limited to: ethics, professionalism, benefits and maintenance of gardens; best practice youth programs; balancing extension work and personal life. Three graduate students and three undergraduate students participated in this project. They gained hands-on knowledge about research and outreach by assisting in greenhouse management, vegetable seedling production, bed preparation, hoop house construction, planting, harvesting and analyzing data. One graduate student was able to attend three conferences during the 2017 and 2018. Pollinators Workshop, November 2017, Alexandria, Louisiana; Southern Sustainable Working Agriculture Group Conference, January 2018, Chattanooga, Tennessee; SARE/ATTRA 2018 Conference, April 2018, St. Louis, Missouri. One graduated student received his Master Degree in Urban Forestry spring 2018, and the other student graduated fall 2018. The 3 undergraduate students worked on the project received their BS degrees fall 2018. Community and School Based Gardening Workshops The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Institute (SARDI) - a satellite campus of the Southern University Land Grant Campus - hosted a School and community garden coordinators Workshop. Teachers, farmers and backyard gardeners were invited to attend the workshop,which was free and open to the public. The workshop focused on the following topics: • Soil Preparation tips • Greenhouse maintenance • The benefits of hoop houses and raised beds Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities that included: • Seedling Preparation and • Transplanting Seedlings Attendees were provided with seedlings and seeds for the spring planting. More than 50 people attended this event. National Agriculture Day, March 21, 2017 More than 3,000 students from elementary, middle and high schools, along with adults, Ag professionals, and farmers from throughout the city and surrounding parishes gathered at Southern University's Felton G. Clark Activity Center on March 21 to celebrate National Ag Day.Youth and adults experienced plants, live animal and food demonstrations, technology and more. Attendees learned how agriculture impacts their daily living and how to sustain a healthy living for life through food. A Sensory vegetable and herb garden was set up for this event. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Progress throughout the project wassubmitted quarterly to Southern Ag Center's Communications Department for publication in theChancellor's report as well as SU Ag Center blog, Facebook and Twitter. The information offered by the project was disseminated via newspapers such as, The Advocate of Baton Rouge, The Opelousas Daily World, The Southern Digest, The Weekly Press, etc. Other events used to disseminate results to communities of interest include: Gardening to Attract Pollinators, March 21, 2017 7th Louisiana Small Farmers Conference, March 16-18, 2017 Fall Garden Workshop, November 21, 2017 8th Louisiana Small Farmers Conference, March 15-17, 2018 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project has ended.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Participants had an opportunity to apply science, math, safety, health, and physical activity while participating in the garden. Studies show that working in the garden can burn up to 300 calories per hour. The youth were given 4-H Common Measures Surveys pre and post test to determine if their feelings towards healthy foods had changed. Most students said that they would most likely drink a glass of water instead of a soda. Others said they were more likely to eat a healthy snack over candy and/or chips and they would likely order a small order of fries instead of a large to eat healthier. Two graduate and three undergraduate students were hired to develop the research phase of this project. A third graduate student who was funded by the Southern University Graduate program also conducted research using data from this project. The summary of their studies are as follows: Mitchell Provensal (Student 1) The use of a net house was investigated in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to understand the potential for vegetable production in the late summer, fall, and winter.In 2017, a high tunnel was built at Southern University Horticulture Farm and covered entirely with 30% shade cloth. This net house growing environment was compared with an open field plot.This study used tomatoes and cucumbers for summer planting and mustard greens for fall through winter planting. For a late summer planting, the net house showed a high rate of weekly plant growth compared to open field trial. Sungold tomato proved to be a suitable variety for the net house. Mustard green production through the fall and winter showed significantly less leaf damage and increased weekly plant growth in the net house compared to the open field. The fall trial assessed bed types inside the net house as well. Raised beds and in ground ridges are both suitable for growing mustard greens in a net house since no significant differences were found. Amara, Florida Broadleaf, and Red Giant are all adaptable mustard green varieties for net house production. After obtaining his M.S. degree, Mr. Provensal started a cut flower farm and serves as Program Coordinator for Wall Project Urban Farm for the Mayor's office -City of Baton Rouge Deandra Deveaux(Student 2): The study focused on the growth and production quality of bell pepper plants, planted in raised beds inside of a high-tunnel hoop house over an eight week period (June - July 2018). Seventy-two pimento bell pepper plants were randomly divided into two treatments, field (F) and net house (N). Each treatment received thirty-six pepper plants and was sub-divided into six replications.. In each replication six bell pepper plants were planted by transplanting seedlings grown in the University greenhouse. Parameters measured on a weekly basis were as follows: 1) Plant height, 2) Chlorophyll levels, 3) Insect/Disease damage, 4) Weed Population Rating (from 1 - 5). Data was analyzed using SAS GLM and chi-square test procedures. Parameters measured over the eight week period showed significant differences between the treatments (P<0.05). Results show that plant height and chlorophyll levels were greater in the net house, insect and disease damage was lower in the net house and the weed population showed slower growth in the net house. The highest yield was collected from the net house. All results show that net house vegetable production produced healthier and higher bell pepper yield. Results and discussions from this research will be reviewed and linked to ways in which sustainable net house farming can be used as a foundation to promote the importance of food security in third-world countries such as The Bahamas. List of schools with our garden projects: St. Landry Parish Northeast Elementary North Elementary Washington Elementary Grand Prairie Elementary Grolee Elementary Southwest Elementary Palmettto elementary Lawtell Elementary Lafayette Parish Gethsemene Christian Academy Community Gardens Tibs Grocery store Southwest Primary Health Care Several varieties of vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, edible flowers and herbs were planted on ridged and raised beds for both sites (Southern University, Baton Rouge and SARDI). Southern University undergraduate and graduate students were given tours in the greenhouse and demonstration garden plots to learn some of the gardening activities. These included soil media preparation, planting, transplanting, fertilization, irrigation and harvesting. Two Training workshops on cut and edible flowers were conducted on June 10, 2017, and on April 25, 2018. Emphasis was given to production and marketing of flowers. The target audience were low income women in urban and rural communities, small farmers and agricultural professionals. Seventy five and 120 people attended the workshops in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Several Experts were invited to present in both workshops. Throughout June 2017, a total of 160 youth, ages ranging from 14 to 17, from the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program visited the Southern University Land Grant Campus (SULGC) to learn about the research and extension activities being conducted in the green house and out in the field. Participants were introduced to agricultural related careers and were given hands-on learning at the horticulture farm. On June 19, 2017, The Southern University Urban Farm program hosted a farm tour for at-risk students from Piney Woods School in Mississippi. Participants learned about agricultural practices, careers in agriculture and other topics related to urban agriculture.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audiences the project was designed to address are socially disadvantaged, limited resourced farmers, organic farmers' potential gardeners, incarcerated individuals, homeless shelter and at-risk youth. Workshops and seminars were conducted through the course of year to benefit these groups. In addition, gardening demonstrations and workshops were conducted to benefit youth and school children. Changes/Problems:Due to the untimely termination of the original project director, a new project director, Mila Berhane was designated and NIFA approved the new PD on November 9, 2016. In addition, two co-PDs became inactive due to termination and the remaining directors/project staff assumed the responsibilities of the vacatingco-project directors. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three graduate students and three undergraduate students participated in this project and they are gaining knowledge about research by assisting in greenhouse management, vegetable seedling production, bed preparation, hoop house construction, planting, harvesting, collectingand analyzing data. Investigators and key personnel involved on this project shared and presented the accomplishments and experiences from the project at SUALGC events, community programs, schools, and at professional and agriculture related meetings. The Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development Institute (SARDI) - a satellite campus of the Southern University Land Grant Campus - hosted a Community and School Based Gardening Workshop on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 School and community garden coordinators, farmers and backyard gardeners were invited to attend the workshop,which was free and open to the public. The workshop focused on the topics of: • Soil Preparation tips • Greenhouse maintenance • The benefits of hoop houses and raised beds Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities that included: • Seedling Preparation and • Transplanting Seedlings Attendees were provided with seedlings and seeds for the spring planting. More than 50 people attended this event. National Agriculture Day, March 21, 2017 More than 3,000 students from elementary, middle and high schools, along with adults, ag arofessionals, and farmers from throughout the city and surrounding parishes gathered at Southern University's Felton G. Clark Activity Center on March 21 to celebrate National Ag Day. Youth and adults learned about seedlings,plants, live animal and food demonstrations, technology and more. Attendees learned how agriculture impacts their daily living and how to sustain a healthy living for life through food. A Sensory vegetable and herb garden was set up for this event. Gardening to Attract pollinators, March 21, 2017 Mila Berhane (PD)conducted a workshop on "Gardening to Attract Pollinators," hosted by the Ascension Parish Library, Dutchtown, on March 21. This event was part of the Ascension Parish Master Gardeners Association's library series of educational workshops with gardening and landscaping tips geared to gardeners, extension agents and Ag professionals. More than 50 people attended. SUALGC factsheets on milkweed to attract butterfly were distributed. 7th Louisiana Small Farmers Conference, March 16-18, 2017 The project staff attended this event. The theme for this year was "Innovations and Resilience for Louisiana Small Family Farms." The conference was designed to provide expanded awareness of educational opportunities; U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and services; and other resources to help small farmers stay in business. The eventtargetedbeginning farmers, small and urban farmers, agricultural business owners, community leaders, backyard gardeners and community-based organizations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information generated by the project has been disseminated by newspaper such as, The Opelousas Daily World, Southern University Agricultural Land Grant Campus (SUALGC) Blog, Facebook and Twitter. Several workshops and hands-on training have also been used to communicate information to clientele. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For the coming and concluding year of this project, the following activities will be conducted to accomplish our goals: More trainings and gardening workshops will be organized to attract a wider audience. More graduate and undergraduate students will be involved with the project to get hands on experience. The hoop house and demonstration plots will be regularly maintained to serve as training tools for the community and students. Wewill install a demonstration/teaching greenhouse for the city of Opelousas to aid us in offering hands-on trainings to a larger and more diverse audience comprising of low income andlimited resource personswho may not be able to attend our activities at the main campus in Baton Rouge. Data will be collected and analyzed for presentationat workshops and professional meetings. Investigators and key personnel involved in this project will share and present the accomplishments and experiences from the project at SUALGC events, community programs, schools, and at professional and agriculture related meetings (e.g., SSAWG, ARD, NEDA, PAWC, etc.). The team will share our experiences, achievements and pitfalls with policy makers and community leaders.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Some of the accomplishments of the project are: Two graduate assistants and three undergraduate students were hired to develop the research phase of this project. A third graduate student who was funded by the Southern University Graduate Programalso conducting research on this project. Research and demonstrationplots were established and data have been collected by students and their research mentors. Seedlings were grown starting in January 2017. Some of these seedlings were provided to Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development Institute (SARDI) in Opelousas to be distributed to community and school gardens, and some were planted at the Southern University Urban Demonstration Farm. Several varieties of vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, edible flowers and herbs have been planted on ridged and raised beds. A 26 x 48 ft hoop-house wasbuilt and research demonstration plots have been stablished with the help of students andproject staff. Southern University undergraduate and graduate students were given toursof the greenhouses and demonstration garden plots to learn some of the gardening activities. These activities included soil media preparation, planting, transplanting, fertilization, irrigation and harvesting. A Training workshop on cut and edible flowers is scheduled for June 10, 2017, this workshop will give exposure and emphasis on production and marketing of flowers. The target audience include low income women in urban and rural communities, small farmers and agricultural professionals. Throughout June 2017, over 160 youth, ages ranging from 14 to 17, from the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program will visit the Southern University Agricultural Land Grant Campus (SUALGC) to learn about the research and demonstrationbeing conducted on this project, agricultural related careers, and hands-on learning at the horticulture farm. On June 19, 2017, The Southern University Urban Demonstration Farm programhas accepted tohosta farm tour for at-risk students from Piney Woods School in Mississippi. Participants will learn about agricultural practices, careers in agriculture and other topics related to urban agriculture. The Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development Institute (SARDI) - a satellite campus of the Southern University Agricultural Land Grant Campus - hosted a Community and School Based Gardening Workshop on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017 School and community garden coordinators, farmers and backyard gardeners were invited to attend the workshop, which was free and open to the public. The workshop focused on the topics of: • Soil Preparation tips • Greenhouse maintenance • The benefits of hoop houses and raised beds Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities that included: • Seedling Preparation and • Transplanting Seedlings Participants were provided with seedlings and seeds for the spring planting. More than 50 people attended this event. National Agriculture Day, March 21, 2017 More than 3,000 students from elementary, middle and high schools, along with adults, agriculture professionals and farmers from throughout the city and surrounding parishes gathered at Southern University's Felton G. Clark Activity Center on March 21 to celebrate National Ag Day. Youth and adults learned about plants, live animal and food demonstrations, technology and more. Attendees learned about the ways agriculture impact their daily living and how to sustain a healthy living for life through food. A Sensory Taste of vegetable and herb garden was set up for this event. Gardening to Attract pollinators, March 21, 2017 The PD, Mila Berhane conducted a workshop on "Gardening to Attract Pollinators," hosted by the Ascension Parish Library, Dutchtown, on March 21. This event was part of the Ascension Parish Master Gardeners Association's library series of educational workshops with gardening and landscaping tips geared to gardeners, extension agents and ag professionals. More than 50 people attended. SUALGC factsheets on milkweed to attract butterfly were distributed to participants. 7th Louisiana Small Farmers Conference, March 16-18, 2017 The project staff attended and participated in this event. The theme for this year was "Innovations and Resilience for Louisiana Small Family Farms." The conference was designed to provide expanded awareness of educational opportunities; U.S. Department of Agriculture Programs and Services; and other resources to help small farmers stay in business. The event targeted beginning farmers, small and urban farmers, agricultural business owners, community leaders, backyard gardeners and community-based organizations.

    Publications


      Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15

      Outputs
      Target Audience:The target audiences reached were: socially disadvantaged, limited resourced farmers, organic farmers, potential gardeners, incarcerated individuals and at-risk youth. Workshops and seminars were conducted through the course of the year in the parishes of St. Landry, St. Martin, Pointe Coupee, and Evangeline Changes/Problems:Another problem facing this project is acquiring and maintaining adequate gardening staff from the community, who are willing to work year-round. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project staff actively sought opportunities for professional development through webinars, conference and workshops. Agents attended training at the Pennington Biomedical Institute in Baton Rouge, LA conducted by the Louisiana State University Ag Center on farm to table in schools, communities; as well as encouraging the youth to make healthier choices. In addition, project staff also served outside of employment by volunteering with various gardening groups such as Urban Demonstration Farm during weekends. Communication and connection with retired extension agents and fellow community gardeners are also a part of staff professional development. Training and Professional Development topics included: ethics, professionalism, benefits and maintenance of gardens; best practice youth programs; balancing extension work and personal life. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The programs offered through the project have been featured in, The Opelousas Daily World, The Pointe Coupee Banner, Southern University Ag Center Blog, Southern University Ag Center`s Chancellor`s Report, and social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are currently in the planning phase of beginning a farmer's market in St. Landry Parish at the Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives. The farmer's market aims at promoting economic activities, and creating an environment of better and healthier eating habits for the community. Also, the farmer's market will benefit the community by providing access to healthy foods. Lastly, we are in the implementation phase of installing hoop houses to support year-round gardening in several parishes.

      Impacts
      What was accomplished under these goals? A garden assistant was hired to oversee development and maintenance of gardens. The garden assistant also accompanies agents in various communities and schools to implement school/community gardens. The goals of the community/school gardens are to educate and encourage youth and families to participate in farm to table (agricultural production to consumption). Another method of strengthening community engagement and building economic opportunities in sustainable agriculture is our monthly meeting with the Southwest Livestock Enterprise Group from in St. Landry Parish. Through our community and school gardens, participants had an opportunity to apply science, math, safety, health and physical activity while participating in the garden activities. Studies show that working in the garden can burn up to 300 calories per hour. The youth were given 4-H Common Measures Surveys pre and post test to determine if their feelings towards healthy foods had changed. Most students said that they would most likely drink a glass of water instead ofsoda. Others said they were more likely to eat a healthy snack than candy and/or chips and they would likelybuy a small order of fries than a large order (just to eat healthy). Throughout the project, there have been various gardening education activities. Gardens have been established in the following areas: -St. Martin Parish-Community Garden in Parks, Louisiana. -Pointe Coupee Parish-New Roads Housing Authority Community Garden -St. Landry Parish-Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives-(2 projects) raised bed and beautification project. - Eden Park Elementary (Vermillion Parish) - Herod Elementary (Vermillion Parish) - Dozier Elementary (Vermillion Parish) - North Park Community Garden (St. Landry Parish) - Gardening for A Healthy Community (Gentilly- Orleans Parish) - Gardening for A Healthy Community (Greater St. Stephens Church- Orleans Parish) - St. Helena Arts and Technology Academy (St. Helena Parish) - St. Helena College and Career Academy Gardening Project (St. Helena Parish- planning phase) The gardening projects serve many benefits to youth as well as adults, the benefits include: -Responsibility: caring & nurturing plants. -Exercise: working in the garden can burn up to 300 calories an hour. -Access: providing access to healthy foods. -Science: youth learned chemistry and biology through various aspects of gardening. -Math: youth learned to calculate the yield of the harvest. Our Community Gardens have proven to be successful in regard to youth and adults learning how to grow vegetables that are beneficial to sustain health. Adults teach youth how to calculate and measure proper distance between plants, while exercising at the same time. In addition to starting and maintaining gardens within various communities and schools; werecently began to offer support and gardening knowledge to schools in various parishes with pre-existing gardens. It also focused on Summer Enrichment Workshops. The tuition-free programs afforded participants an opportunity to acquire knowledge in gardening as it relates to math, technology, science, and healthy living. This program also gave participants a chance to participate in educational and garden tours. Youth in gardening is a year-round activity targeting persons interested in a healthy lifestyle alternative. It is designed to educate and increase awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle through fitness and gardening. Community volunteers, 10 high school and undergraduate students dedicated their time and talents to planting, maintaining and harvesting the gardens. Some of the workshops and activities offered were: Introduction to Healthy Living Introduction to Gardening Plant Day Harvest Celebration Garden Safety How to make raised beds Is your food safe? How to be safe in the sun How to avoid heat stress • Drink Plenty of Water: The dangers of Dehydration • The life cycle of plants (photosynthesis) Summer Educational Tours were designed to afford the socioeconomically disadvantaged a chance to engage in cultural events that they would otherwise not have an opportunity. Participants visited the Louisiana 4-H State Museum in Mansura where they participated in a gardening seminar and nature walk. Other program-related sites visited were, the Tobasco Company at Avery Island, Louisiana - it provided those participating with an overview on how the tobasco pepper is planted, maintained, harvested, processed, and marketed. Several youth participants realized the economic impact of gardening, as well as, the numerous career fields within agricultural sciences.

      Publications


        Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14

        Outputs
        Target Audience: The target audiences reached were: socially disadvantaged, limited resourced farmers, organic farmers, potential gardeners, incarcerated individuals and at-risk youth. Workshops and seminars were conducted through the course of the year in the parishes of St. Landry, St. Martin, Pointe Coupee, and Evangeline Changes/Problems: Renovations are being made to the primary site (Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives) in St. Landry Parish, therefore it has become difficult to develop & maintain a garden until the completion. Another problem facing this project is acquiring and maintaining adequate gardening staff from the community, who are willing to work year-round. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The staff actively seeks opportunities for professional development through webinars and workshops, as well as extensive internet research. In addition, staff also works outside of employment by volunteering with various gardening groups such as Urban Demonstration Farm during weekends. Communication and connection with retired extension agents and fellow community gardeners are also a part of staff professional development. Training and Professional Development topics include but are not limited to: ethics, professionalism, benefits and maintenance of gardens; best practice youth programs; balancing extension work and personal life. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The programs offered through the project have been featured in, Opelousas Daily World, the Southern University Ag Center Blog, Southern University Ag Center`s Chancellor`s Report, and social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Acquire a gardening assistant to oversee development and maintenance of the gardens. Staff will continue with training and personal development. In addition, we will identify personnel to ensure that staffing is complete in the targeted parishes with a heavy focus on recruiting persons with appropriate academic backgrounds and experiences. Fact sheets and databases will continue to be developed to closely monitor a change in knowledge acquired.

        Impacts
        What was accomplished under these goals? Participants had an opportunity to apply science, math, safety, health, and physical activity while participating in the garden. Studies show that working in the garden can burn up to 300 calories per hour. The youth were given 4-H Common Measures Surveys pre and post test to determine if their feelings towards healthy foods had changed. Most students said that they would most likely drink a glass of water instead of a soda. Others said they were more likely to eat a healthy snack over candy and/or chips and they would likely order a small order of fries instead of a large to eat healthier. Throughout the project there have been various gardening education activities. Gardens have been established in the following areas: -St. Martin Parish-Community Garden in Parks, Louisiana. -Pointe Coupee Parish-New Roads Housing Authority Community Garden -St. Landry Parish-Southwest Center for Rural Initiatives-(2 projects) raised bed and beautification project. The gardening projects serve many benefits to youth as well as adults, the benefits include: -responsibility-caring & nurturing plants. -exercise-working in the garden can burn up to 300 calories an hour. -access-provides access to healthy foods. -science-youth learn chemistry and biology through various aspects of gardening. -math-youth learn to calculate the yield of the harvest. It also focused on Summer Enrichment Workshops. The tuition-free programs afforded participants an opportunity to acquire knowledge in gardening as it relates to math, technology, science, and healthy living. This program also gave participants a chance to participate in educational and garden tours. Youth in gardening is a year-round activity targeting persons interested in a healthy lifestyle alternative. It is designed to educate and increase awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle through fitness and gardening. Community volunteers, 10 high school and undergraduate students dedicate their time and talents to planting, maintaining and harvesting the gardens. Some of the workshops and activities offered were: Introduction to Healthy Living Introduction to Gardening Garden Safety How to make raised beds Is your food safe? How to be safe in the sun How to avoid heat stress Drink Plenty of Water: The dangers of Dehydration The life cycle of plants (photosynthesis) Summer Educational Tours are designed to afford the socioeconomic disadvantaged a chance toengage in cultural events that they would otherwise not have an opportunity. Participants visited the Louisiana 4-H State Museum in Mansura where they participated in a gardening seminar and nature walk. Other program-related sites visited were, the Tobasco Company atAvery Island, Louisiana -it provided those participating with an overview on how the tobasco pepper is planted, maintained, harvested, processed, andmarketed.

        Publications