Progress 10/15/15 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:COVID school closures interrupted an important facet of this project--transmission of the educational materials and methods to the classroom. This will be taken up once schools reopen. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?For the early years of this applied project the PI (Martini), the Program Coordinator (Tansey) and the Administrative Assistant (Galapon) took full responsibly for numerous procedures to enable the programs to operate and data to be collected. By the end of the project other workers in the project stepped up to the plate to take personal responsibility for many program and evaluation tasks. They learnedand appliedthe curriculum with significantly greater fidelity as theyworked with youth (and families in the related programs). They took initiate in publicizing their areas of programmingand in recruiting adequate numbers of participants. They came to keep accurate attendance records of their programs and to collect, organize and store evaluation materials. All cooperated in maintain the facilities. All workers met in staff meetings to plan programs, prepare lessons, train new staff members and coordinate efforts within and across the programs. This enabled the PI, researchers and program coordinator to keep the programs on track and to produce significant improvements in youth knowledge, skills and outcomes. We were not able to have Master Gardeners work in classrooms, nor to train HS teachers of agriculture, due to the COVID closureof schools. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Teen Internship in Organic Farming curriculum has circulated and been used inseveral other Hawaii programs with the same focus. Master Gardeners were incorporated into the educational researchprogram. They were trained to instruct youth in the Spring and Fall 2020 semesters,but due to COVID lockdowns were not able to do this. They continued to work on site, however, during this stressful period and to help keep up the youth farm and gardens. The GoFarm Program interviewed Mary Martini and Norman Tansey and circulated those videotapes. Normie Galapon has kept program parents and youth informed via newsletters during this period. Norman Tansey has disseminated program information to participants via Zoom lessons and meetings. Parenting instructors in the partner program have worked with families to complete projects through Zoom meetings. Martini has circulated the curriculum research findings to other youth farm projects. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We developed a curriculum that is currently used, in part, by other youth-farm programs. This curriculum can be used in Intermediate and High School sustainability courses, but we were not able to do so in 2020, due to COVID closures of schools. We trained Master Gardeners in aspects of this curriculum, but they were unable to work with teachers in classrooms using this training. We increased the practical and trade skills in youth as indicated in their abilities to effectively garden, construct farm structures, use and repair irrigation systems, effectively prepare the soil in their sectors of the farm, grow crops in hydroponics systems, produce 5 CSA baskets of produce each week and sell this to customers, manage slugs and insects damaging their crops, do business planning for their farm, successfully market their farm to 5 weekly customers and keep accurate records of sales. Participants showed strong work ethics, leadership and team work as they built, maintained and marketed their farm, following guidelines in the curriculum they followed. They showed improved skills, pre- and post-, in use of carpentry and farming tools, in carrying out farm maintenance tasks, in packaging and marketing their products, and in designing studies. Teen participants showed significant improvements from pre to post-tests in their curricular units on: soil science, botany, plant structures and processes at the cellular level, composting, water science, hydroponics and aquaponics, pest management and research methods. Teen participants, and other family members in the related family program showed important skill improvement in cooking meals using recipes from other cultures. All participants in the 2019 cohort graduated from High School and applied and were accepted in colleges and are now attending college. Three of the graduating teen participants who are now at the University of Hawaii (majoring in Engineering). From the beginning of this project, 90% of all participants succeeded in getting into college. This demonstrateda significant positive effect of the program on student motivation, asmany of the interns were failing or floundering at school when they entered the program. Some had dropped out of school; others had beenexpelled; manyperformed poorly, particularly in the sciences when they entered the program.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?College students working on this project received training in: a) how to write and carry out lesson plans, b) how to work with youth; c) how to copy-edit written products and document sources of photographs and diagrams; d) how to lead cooking classes for adults and children; e) how to administer and score evaluation measures. They were monitored weekly in their work with youth. They attended staff training and group supervisions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The materials have been disseminated to school garden groups and the Kohala Center for Sustainable Agriculture. They are ready for submission to XLibris Publishing Company. We will submit the manuscript early in 2020. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Our next proposed step is to have staff and Master Gardener's pilot-test the curriculum, using a cohort of public school students. In the upcoming weeks, Norman Tansey, Carli Donohue and I will meet with Trevor Atkins, the science teacher at nearby Halau Ku Mana School. We worked with Halau Ku Mana students in earlier years and want to reconnect with this school. In 2016-2017, 15 Halau Ku Mana students attended our teen internship program. These students were excellent, committed interns who attended regularly. However, some parents worried about their teens who needed to get themselves home, by city bus, during the evening hours after the program. After two semesters of struggling with this problem, the school principal requested that we teach the program at the Halau Ku Mana site. However, we were unable to do so at that time, and also did not want to abandon the program component that entails producing and selling CSA baskets as a way to train youth in business practices. In the next weeks, we will re-explore the possibility of teaching part of our curriculum at the Halau Ku Mana site while continuing the Teen Internship program (including the CSA-basket component) at the FETCH Farm site. We will suggest working with Halau Ku Mana students one afternoon a week, on their own school site, during Mr. Atkin's agricultural science class time. We will suggest that we then transport interested students from Halau Ku Mana to the nearby FETCH Farm on Wednesday afternoons to attend the Teen internship program. In this way, we will be able to pilot test some aspects of the curriculum at their school site and other components of the program (such as, building the CSA farm, producing and selling CSA baskets, and completing the learning activities in the curriculum) at the FETCH Farm site. To assure parents that Halau Ku Mana teens will get to their buses safely, we will transport them the short distance to the bus terminal and see them off on their buses. Recommendations for the next funding period Norman Tansey is the Program Coordinator of the FETCH educational programs. He earned degrees in business and agriculture from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has business experience running his own aquaponics company; as well as working in commercial fishing and aquaponics companies. He has extensive experience working with youth. Norman works with Normie Galapon, who manages the Friday Family Advantage programs and teaches the Youth Advantage students. Normie is a recent graduate of the Family and Consumer Sciences Department in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and has extensive experience working with youth. These two individuals have been taking full responsibility for numerous procedures that enable these programs to operate. However, at a day to day level, it is recommended that all people working in the programs help with these efforts to maintain the program infrastructure. In particular, it is important that everyone working here continues to: read, understand and apply the curriculum developed for their specific program; work in groups to publicize their programs in the community; help recruit adequate numbers of participants for their programs prior to the start-date each semester; prepare for and participate in program-wide recruitment or fund-raising events; keep attendance records of their programs; collect, organize, and store evaluation materials from the participants in their program; maintain the facilities in which they work and meet with staff, as needed, to plan programs, prepare lessons, train new staff members and to coordinate efforts within and across the programs. These efforts are expected from all members of the staff as part of the jobs for which they are paid. It is recommended that all staff participate in these processes so that the onerous administrative tasks carried out by the Program Coordinator and manager are doable and so that the center can thrive.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Teens completed a "Summer gardening program" and a "teen internship in sustainable farming". They built a farm and ran a CSA business, selling baskets of vegetables. They learned agricultural sciences and business skills. Families attended a 9-month, Family Advantage program involving: gardening, cooking, parenting and a youth social-skills. In the summer program, staff worked with 5 teens, 10 hours a week for 8 weeks. Teens learned carpentry from a licensed Foreman and worked side by side with skilled craftsmen. They built structures and the"bones", of 10 "world" gardens. The gardens were chosen as one of three Honolulu gardens to be showcased in an annual Malama Manoa Garden show. The teens gave guided tours to 60 garden-show visitors. Checklists on teens' skills in carpentry, gardening, and irrigation plumbing tools, showed marked improvements by the end of the summer. Twelve high-school students attended the 9-month, Teen Internship in Sustainable Farming. They built and ran a 1/10th acre CSA farm. They gained skills in business, science, construction and gardening. They prepared for college. Each week, they took a pre-test; built farm structures; and packed and sold CSA baskets. They attended classes in: farm management, science concepts; field science, and lab science. They ate supper cooked from the farm; and took a post-test. The PI (Martini) wrote the curriculum and lesson plans. Each session has four, one-hour activities: Farm Management; Science Concepts; Field Science and Lab Science. Interns moved between indoor and outdoor settings. The curriculum includes: Unit 1: What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)? Unit 2: Soil Science: How to prepare our fields. What is the texture of our soil? What is the crumb-structure of our soil? What is soil pH and how does it affect plant growth? How can we amend our soil? Unit 3: Planning and Planting out our Farm: Botany basics for farmers; How can we select crops, map the fields, and do successive plantings; How do plants grow; How can we help them do so. Unit 4: The Role of Water in Plant Growth: What are the structures and properties of Water?; How so plants take in and use Water? How can we optimize water intake? Unit 5: Organic Soil Amendments: Different Methods of Composting; The Science of Decomposition; Vermicasting; Indigenous Micro-organisms and Organic Farming Unit 6: Growing in Water: Different hydroponic systems; Nutrient needs of plants; Building aquaponics systems for homes; Conducting research in hydroponics Unit 7: Plant Nutrient Requirements; What are essential plant nutrients?; How do plants take up nutrients; what are signs of Nutrient Deficiencies; Unit 8: Integrated Pest Management: Identifying Insect Pests in Hawaii; how to use the CTAHR Integrated Pest Management System; and organic methods to manage pests; How to identify and prevent plant diseases Unit 9: Human Nutrition and Organic Farming: How can we protect ourselves from disease; plan gardens for optimal nutrition;How can we feed our cells to protect ourselves. Evaluation of the Teen Internship Program Participants increased in number. Our programs served the highest numbers of teens, parents and children this year than it has in 5 years. The CSA Farm succeeded. The 1/10th acre, CSA farm, built and run by teens, funded by our FETCH program, grossed $500 in Fall 2018 and another $800 in Spring 2019, through the sale of CSA baskets. The CSA earnings were dispersed to farm interns who were about to enter college, to help cover first-year college expenses. (Funds were reserved to be dispersed to the 2 younger interns once they enter college in a year). 100% of at-age youth were admitted to college. All ten interns who were seniors graduated from high school and were accepted into and entered competitive colleges, at the end of the internship year. These students plan to major in sciences or engineering. The remaining two participants, who were juniors during the program time, are currently in their senior years and are applying to colleges for next year. In the 8 years of running the program, 95% of youth participants entered college when they came of age. This includes students who had dropped out of high school or had been expelled. The mentors in this program were college or graduate students or young professionals. They provided teens with a point of entrée into college life. Evaluations indicated that: teens gained: a) craft and business skills; b) conceptual and research skills; and c) teamwork and leadership skills. Weekly pre- and post-tests showed improved knowledge of the topics. Indications of independent learning. One participant completed his Eagle Scout certification at the CSA farm. He led 40 scouts to reroof and rescreen the Outdoor Classroom. Another participant had dropped out of high to homeschool himself. He earned his GED and was hired as a garden manager. He developed tropical gardens, hydroponic systems and fish ponds in his yard. He now works with Hawaiian botanists protecting endangered Hawaiian plants and animals in the forest near his home. He attends college in agricultural sciences and works at our center. The Family Advantage Program. The Family Advantage program is held on Friday evenings for 12 weeks per semester. About 5 to 8 families attend (8 to 12 parents and 10 to 15 children and teens). The program focuses on sustainable gardening and cooking, family education and positive youth development. Family members garden and cook together during the first hour. Parents and youth then attend their own programs. Families and staff then eat the dinner they helped cook, and clean up the setting. The Youth Advantage program. Children complete crafts activities related to nature, gardening, and family life (such as making a "chores chart" ). Children practice mindfulness and group cooperation. They learn how to belong in groups by contributing, rather than by demanding attention. Evaluation. Children became more responsible and able to cope. They agreed with statements such as "I do what I think is right even if other people don't like me for it;" "It is important to think before you act" and "I try to talk to a person calmly even when they're mad at me". By the end of the program, children: did homework by themselves; felt more relaxed at home; talked to their parents about problems; and argued less with siblings. They used "I-messages," more and shared and took turns with peers. The Parent Advantage program. Parents listed problems at home as: children: a) refuse to comply with mealtimes, bedtime or morning routines; b) misbehave in public; c) seek constant attention; d) resist parents; and e) fight with siblings. Counselors encouraged parents to: a) spend time with each child, every day, doing what the child wants to do; b) acknowledge children for contributing; c) take time to teach children skills; d) encourage children when they solve problems; and ; e) hold regular family meetings to give everyone a sense of "belonging to the group" and "having voice and choice". Evaluation: By the end of the year, families spent more time together having fun, and had more frequent family meetings. They began to make decisions as a group. Parents spent "special time," with each child. They recognized that encouragement works better than punishment. They held family meetings and made decisions as a group. They managed anger and disappointment better. Children paid-back to the family when their actions depleted family resources (such as damaging property). Siblings worked out their own disagreements. Fewer power struggles occurred in the home and children became willing to help. Parents encouraged children skills rather than lecturing them to grow up. Curriculum Development and testing: The former PI [Martini] revised the last 3 units of the curriculum. Master Gardeners were incorporated into the Training Program
Publications
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Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience (Community Participants Served) From October to December 2017, we conducted 10 teen internship sessions, with Intermediate and High School students. Each session was 5 hours in length with an average of 10 students attending. From January to May, 2018, we conducted 12 teen internship sessions serving an average of 9 students per session. From June to August, 2018, we conducted an 8-week, work-study program in which 5 teen interns worked an average of 5 hours per day, 2 days a week, on farming, gardening, landscaping and building projects. During September, 2018, we conducted 4 teen internship sessions, teaching 12 students each session. From October to December 2017, we conducted 10 Family Advantage sessions. Each session was 3 hours in length with an average attendance of 9 families (approximately 24 family members) per session. From January to May 2018 we conducted 12 Family Advantage programs, serving an average of 8 families (20 family members) per session. In summary, the PI and staff of the FETCH conducted 176 hours of programing in the community in Fall, 2017 and Spring, 2018. We conducted 22 Teen Internship sessions (5 hours each) and 22 Family Advantage sessions (3 hours each). We conducted an additional 80 hours of programing during the summer, 2018. Changes/Problems:We need to make changes in Personnel for the remaining reporting periods I (Mary Martini) have been Principal Investigator on this project from 2015 to December 2018. I retired from the UHM system at the end of December 2018 and can no longer fill this role. However, Dr. Barbara Yee, Chair of Family and Consumer Sciences will take over as PI for the remaining two years of the project (October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2020). Dr. Sothy Eng (Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences) will take over as co-PI. Dr. Eng will work with Kalani Matsumura, MS, to conduct the weekly training session of the 4 Mentors of teen participants, during this period. I will continue in my role as author of the curriculum textbook and provider of lesson plans to be used in the program. Also, Jayme Grzebik, Extension agent and Director of the Master Gardeners program, served as co-Principal Investigator on this project from October 2015 to July 2018, at which time she resigned from her extension position at the University of Hawaii. Kalani Matsumura, MS, coordinator of Master Gardeners in Manoa, in the extension system, will take overas co-Principal Investigator for Extension, for the remaining two years of the project, to maintain the extension and research integration. He will work with Dr. Eng to conduct weekly trainings of 1 Master Gardener and 3 undergraduate and graduate students serving as Mentors of teens in this program. Mr. Matsumura and Dr. Eng will conduct a 2-hour training session each week during the program period (12 weeks each academic semester) to oversee and provide comments on the lesson plans that will be presented by each of the 4 Mentors of teens. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PI and staff systematized training of college-age mentors during this period. The college students working as mentors on this project received 2 hours of structured training per week to help them prepare their teaching for the next teen session. Training consisted of guided practice in: a) presenting PowerPoint lectures that included problem-solving activities for the students; b) leading laboratory activities in microscope work or science demonstrations; c) teaching field-science activities on the farm or in the outdoor classroom; d) guiding teens through research projects; and e) building and running the farm. Each week teen-interns participated in 5 hands-on learning activities, each taking about 1 hour during their Wednesday afternoon program. These activity periods were: 1) Farm Management; 2) Science Concepts; 3) Field Science; 4) Lab Science; and 5) Research Methods. The teens worked in stable groups of 3-4, with a college-aged mentor. Farm Management consisted of building and running the farm. Each mentoring group, led by their mentor, was responsible for one sector of the farm, containing 12 raised bed gardens. The other four activities (Science Concepts, Field Science, Lab Science and Research Methods) were taught to the whole group. Each mentor taught a large-group activity each week. We developed a weekly rotation to determine which mentor would teach which activity. Training sessions for the mentors were on Monday mornings. They were required to read the curriculum materials for all 5 activities and to prepare their designated activity, before the training session. At the beginning of the session, mentors and staff took a pretest on the content of that week's activities. Then, each mentor practice-taught his or her designated activity, in 20 minutes, with the rest of the participants serving as "students," who commented on what worked well and less well in conveying the information. In this way, the mentors became proficient in five teaching skills, namely, how to: 1) convey information through PowerPoint lectures, videos and demonstrations; 2) guide students through group learning activities; 3) guide students through laboratory activities; 4) guide students through field science activities; and 5) help students design, carry out and report on Science Fair research projects. After presenting to their peers, mentors had two days to change their lessons as desired. For example, to prepare for Unit 5: (Organic Soil Amendments), Week 1: (Different Methods of Composting), mentors first took a pretest. Then, Mentor A presented a Science Concepts PowerPoint on three methods of composting. He demonstrated how he would show students natural composting in the forest, in the farm's compost pile and in the worm bin. Mentor B demonstrated Field Science activities, such as building a mesh composting bin; layering organic materials; keeping compost moist but not dripping, and "turning" the pile. He demonstrated how to measure and record temperature and pH of the pile every day, using a long thermometer and pH meter. He brought lidded jars, squares of screening, and various materials and demonstrated how to make screen packets, insert materials and place these in a compost pile to observe decomposition after a week. He demonstrated how to set up mini compost systems in jars. Mentor C demonstrated (for Lab Science) how to prepare slides and use microscopes to identify and study insects that teens had collected from the compost pile. Mentor D led his colleagues through a Research Methods activity to produce an organic hydrogel. At the end of the meeting, mentors took a post-test and described what they liked best and least about the teaching methods. The PI also taught cooking and culinary history of 11 regions of the world to parents and children during "Family Advantage" sessions on Friday evenings and trained students in this process. An additional 11 regions of the world were described in Spring 2018. The PI is in the process of converting these PowerPoint presentations into booklets for publication by Xlibris Press. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The PI and staff conducted open-houses for the community at the beginning of each semester. During these events, teens conducted tours of the farm and Energy House gardens and explained the instructional programs. The Energy House gardens were selected as one of three Honolulu gardens for the 2018 Manoa Garden Tour. More than 60 community members toured the site. The PI presented the methods and findings of this project to parents of the participating teens and other community members. Draft copies of the curriculum have been distributed to members of the Hawaii school gardens association. Twelve book chapters (317 pages) were finalized during this period and all chapters to date were submitted by the PI, for publication. The curriculum is slated to be published in 2019-2020. We also conducted 22, 5 hour educational sessions with teens during the 2017-2018 school year and 16, 5 hour educational sessions with teens during the summer, 2018. We conducted 22, 3 hour, Family Advantage programs during the 2017-2018 school year and 10 Summer Gardening sessions in the summer of 2018. Twenty-eight book chapters were submitted for publication (to Xlibris Press) by the PI. These are for the book in publication: Martini, M.I. (2019) Sustainable, Organic Farming by Youth. Xlibris Press (in process). Each chapter includes curriculum materials (lectures, demonstrations, laboratory exercises, hands on activities) needed to teach Science Concepts, Field Science, Lab Science and Research Methods related to that week's topic. Unit 1: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farming [total=53 pages] 1. What is a CSA farm and why run one? (14 pages) 2. How to plan a CSA farm (17 pages) 3. How to market a CSA farm (13 pages) 4. How to set up a CSA farm (9 pages) Unit 2: Soil Science: Preparing the Fields and Raised Beds [total=42 pages] 1. Ripping, tilling and aerating the soil (9 pages) 2. Testing the texture or composition of our soil (12 pages) 3. Testing the crumb-structure of our soil (11 pages) 4. Testing soil pH, summarizing findings and amending the soil (10 pages) Unit 3: Planning and Planting out the Farm [total=98 pages] 1. Botany basics for farmers (26 pages) 2. How to select crops, map the fields and do succession planting (16 pages) 3. How plants work (13 pages) 4. How can we help our plants grow and produce? (4 pages) Field Guide: Families of vegetables and fruits (39 pages) Unit 4: The Role of Water in Plant Growth [total=149 pages] 1. The structure and properties of water (28 pages) 2. How plants take in and use water (45 pages) 3. Research to solve water intake problems (38) 4. Optimizing Water intake (38) Unit 5: Organic Soil Amendments [total=129 pages] 1. Different Methods of Composting (38 pages) 2. The Science of Decomposition (36 pages) 3. Vermicasting (25 pages) 4. Indigenous Micro-organisms and Organic Farming (30 pages) Unit 6: Growing in Water [total=95 pages] 1. Different methods of hydroponics (25 pages) 2. Nutrient Needs of Plants in Hydroponics (28 pages) 3. Building Aquaponics Systems (20 pages) 4. Conducting Research in Hydroponics (22 pages) Unit 7: Plant Nutrient Requirements [total=93 pages] 1. Essential plant nutrients (20 pages) 2. How plants take up nutrients (26 pages) 3. Signs of nutrient deficiencies (20 pages) 4. Replenishing nutrients in the soil (27 pages) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Complete the curriculum and submit for publication. During the next reporting period, I plan to complete revisions of: Unit 8) Integrated Pest Management; Unit 9) Human Nutrition and Organic Farming; and Unit 10) Preparing a Science Fair Project. I will then submit these for publication. They are in draft form, as indicated, below. Unit 8: Integrated Pest Management [83 pages] 1. Identifying Insect Pests in Hawaii (34 pages) 2. The CTAHR Integrated Pest Management System (18 pages) 3. Using Organic Methods to Manage Pests (12 pages) 4. Identifying and Preventing Plant Diseases (19 pages) Unit 9: Human Nutrition and Organic Farming [105 pages] 1. How to Protect Ourselves from Cancer (18 pages) 2. Human Nutrition and Garden Planning (25 pages) 3. How do we Digest and Absorb Nutrients from our Food? (28 pages) 4. Feed our Cells to Protect Ourselves (34 pages) Unit 10: Preparing a Science Fair Project [33 pages] 1. Generating Research Ideas (8 pages) 2. Designing Testable Hypotheses and Do-able Methods (9 pages) 3. Conducting and Recording Experiments (7 pages) 4. Reporting Findings and Generating Conclusions (9 pages) Continue to Pilot-test the Curriculum The curriculum is on track to be published in 2019. It is important to pilot-test the activities described in each chapter and to evaluate their effectiveness. The team will continue to pre-test the teens at the beginning of each session and post-test them at the end, to measure knowledge gain. Each week, one Master-Gardener will be trained to teach either a Farm Management activity or Field Science activity. S/he will be asked to attend the Monday morning training meeting and to practice-teach this activity. Increase teen and family participation in the programs Goals are to increase teen participation in the Internship Program by about 50% (from 9 to 18 participants); and to increase Family Advantage participation by 100% to include 5-6 families [12 or more participants each week). Present findings and curriculum at National Meetings Goals are to present the completed curriculum at 2 professional meetings in Hawaii, and at 2 national/international meetings.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this reporting period, the PI completed revisions on an additional 12 chapters (3 units; 317 pages) of the curriculum textbook: Sustainable, Organic Farming by Youth (Units 5-7). These (along with Units 1-4) have been accepted and will be submitted for publication to Xlibris Press. See Products, below. The newly completed units are: Unit 5) Organic Methods of Soil Amendment [composting, vermicasting and use of Indigenous Micro-Organisms] (4 chapters, 129 pages); Unit 6) Growing in water (hydroponics and aquaponics) (4 chapters, 95 pages); and Unit 7) Plant Nutrient Requirements and Deficiencies (4 chapters, 93 pages). Pilot-testing of Curriculum We pilot-tested the curriculum in teen internship sessions at the Family Education Training Center of Hawaii [FETCH Farm at Hale Tuahine]. The PI and staff of the FETCH conducted 176 hours of programing in the community in Fall, 2017 and Spring, 2018. We conducted 22 Teen Internship sessions (5 hours each) and 22 Family Advantage sessions (3 hours each). We conducted an additional 80 hours of programing during the summer, 2018. Participant counts are recorded under Target Audience (Community Participants Served). The PI and staff intensified recruitment of teen-interns to field-test this curriculum, and increased enrollments in the training programs to a current level of 12 participating teens per 4 college-age mentors. Teens attended 12 weekly sessions (5 hours each) during Fall 2017; 12 sessions during Spring 2018; and 16 sessions (5 hours each) during Summer 2018. The teens, during this reporting period, showed statistically significant gains in knowledge as measured by pre-tests at the beginning of each week of the unit and post-tests at the end. They developed hands-on skills in building and running the farm, developing a CSA business, marketing weekly CSA baskets, understanding and amending the soil, understanding plant processes, planning and planting out the raised beds, composting, vermicasting, using IMO's, diagnosing and treating plant nutrient deficiencies, growing vegetables in hydroponic systems, identifying and controlling insect pests, diagnosing and treating plant diseases, and preparing Science Fair projects. All participants changed their eating preferences to include a variety of vegetables and fruits, from the beginning to end of the reporting period, as indicated by their reports and observed eating preferences at the program.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience: Target Audience (Community Participants Served) During the Fall semester, 2016, we conducted 9, 3-hour "Family Advantage" sessions. Ten families attended regularly. We worked with a total of 140 family members during these sessions. Each session served an average of 15 family members (adults, older youth, and children). During Fall 2016, we conducted 9 teen internship sessions, involving Intermediate and High School students. Each session was from 2.5 to 4 hours in length. We worked with a total of 107 youth across the 9 sessions, averaging 12 students per session. During Spring 2017, we conducted 12, 3-hour "Family Advantage" session. A total of 249 family members attended these sessions. Each session served an average of 20 family members. During Spring 2017, we conducted 12, 2.5-hour "Youth Advantage" sessions. A total of 150 youth attended, averaging 12.5 students per session. During Summer 2017, we conducted a 4-hour, 4 day a week garden landscaping workshop for 8 weeks, during June and July that involved an average of 7 daily participants. During September 2017, we conducted 5 Family Advantage sessions, serving 117 family members, an average of 23 family members per session. During the same month, we conducted 3 Teen Internship sessions, involving 13 (unduplicated) Intermediate and HS students. We served 40 students in the 3 sessions, averaging 13 students per session. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?College students working as mentors on this project received training, guided planning and weekly monitoring of their work with youth. They attended 3 hours of staff training/group supervision per week. Mentors scored better, pre and post, on content-matter tests and rated their practical, farming and teaching skills as significantly more proficient at the end of the semester. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We conduct open-houses to the community at large at the beginning of each semester. We showcase our students' accomplishments. Students and staff prepare and set up a tour of the youth farm for families in the community. Teen interns man the instructional stations in this tour. They show community members how to: prepare their garden plots; seed in trays; transplant; identify and control pests; identify and treat nutrient deficiencies; build hydroponics systems; build compost frames; harvest nutrient-rich vegetables for CSA baskets; and cook from the garden. Staff and teen students also conduct tours of the Energy House gardens, explaining indigenous and introduced vegetables in each region of the world garden, presenting recipes from each region and answering questions about problems in community members' gardens. We run a garden design workshop for two months each summer that is open to the public in which we design gardens, build features such as paths, walls, benches, and gazebos, and plant indigenous and typical plants for each of 12 regions of the world--(both edible and ornamental plants). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We will intensify recruitment of teen-interns, especially from underrepresented groups, and include more students who have dropped out or been expelled from school or who appear to have given up on schooling. Our ideal level of participation is 9-12 teen-interns per 3-4 college-age mentors. I will submit for publication, the revised 10-unit curriculum (under contract) to Xlibris Press. We will continue work on the supplementary teacher's guide that includes, for each weekly chapter: PowerPoint presentations; laboratory science activities; field science activities; and student research topic ideas. I will submit for publication, revised books (125 pages each) on culinary history, gardening and cooking in 12 regions of the world. The following drafts have been submitted to the Xlibris publisher (under contract) for editing: 1. Daily life and cooking of Bedouin nomads 2. Ancient Israel: from family to state 3. Food and cooking in the ancient Indus valley 4. History and culture of food in India 5. Food and the state in Ancient Babylon vs. Egypt 6. Ancient Greek democracy, food and cooking 7. Ancient Roman aristocracy, food and cooking 8. Celtic French Cooking and Food 9. Food ways of medieval Europe 10. The story of Genghis Khan 11. Food and cooking in early Mongolia 12. Effects of the spice trade on world history We will systematize training of college-age mentors. The three college students working as "mentors" on this project will receive 4 hours of structured training at the beginning of each of the four instructional units, per semester. The twelve hours of training will consist of guided practice in: a) presenting PowerPoint lectures (interspersed with group, problem-solving activities); b) leading laboratory activities; c) teaching field-science activities on the farm; d) maintaining the farm; and e) leading group discussions on related research and projects. One unit of the curriculum (four weeks of lessons) will be the topic for each 3-hour training session. In this way, mentors will have hands-on, experiential training on the 4 units they will be teaching in the upcoming semester. The college-age mentors will cover one unit per month with the teen-interns. Each unit has 4 chapters; one chapter per week of training. The first chapter of each unit tends to be an overview of the science of that topic (e.g., the science of what occurs during decomposition on compost piles and why). The second chapter of the unit deals with current best practices (e.g., in how to build and use compost systems) and shows how the best-practices stemmed from scientific findings about the topic-- the processes of composting. The third chapter guides the students through applying the "best practices" to their own farm. The fourth chapter shows students how to apply science knowledge to plan and carry out their own research projects. The mentors of this project will become proficient in 5 teaching skills. They will learn how to: 1) convey information through visual means (e.g., present PowerPoint Lectures, videos, and demonstrations), 2) design and guide group learning activities; 3) guide laboratory activities; 4) guide field activities; and 5) guide small-group discussion of current agricultural problems and research questions and topics to address those problems. During each training session, the mentors will practice each teaching process in relation to one unit. Prior to the session, they will a) read the 4 chapters of the unit; b) prepare a 10-minute synopsis of the main points of the PPT lecture related to one week of the unit; b) prepare a 10-minute lab activity related to another week of the unit; c) prepare a 10-minute field activity related to a third week of the unit; and d) prepare a small group discussion on issues and research project ideas related to a fourth week of the unit. During the 3 hour training session, individual mentors will present to the other members of the group. They will lead each other and their instructors through a lecture, lab, field activity and research planning discussion. For example, during the first training session, the mentors will take a short pretest on Unit 5: composting. Then Mentor A will present a 10 minute PPT summarizing the science of decomposition; Mentor B will then lead a 10 minute lab activity on the stages of decomposition; Mentor C will review methods of composting and teach the group how to build a compost frame. The mentors will then take a short post-test on the unit. During the second training session, mentors will take a short pretest on Unit 6 Plant Nutrient Requirements. Mentor B will present a 10 minute PowerPoint summarizing essential plant nutrients; Mentor C will lead a lab on how plants take up nutrients; and Mentor A will lead a field activity on signs of nutrient deficiencies. The mentors will then take a short post-test and eat lunch together. During the third, 3-hour training session, the mentors will take a pretest on Unit 7: Growing in water. Mentor C will present a 10-minute summary on the science of hydroponics; Mentor A will lead a lab experiment on nutrient needs of plants; and Mentor B will demonstrate how to build and run a hydroponics system. During the final training session, the mentors will take a pretest on Unit 8: Integrated Pest Management. Mentor A will present a 10 minute PowerPoint on Insect Pests in Hawaii; Mentor B will lead a lab activity in identifying pests and diseases from affected plant parts; and Mentor C will lead a field activity in how to apply the CTAHR Integrated Pest Management System to manage insects and diseases. They will then take a post test on pest and disease management, and eat a group prepared lunch together. At the Friday evening "Family Advantage" sessions, we will teach cooking and culinary history of the world. Each week, we will cook with three families, focusing on one region of the world. We will explain the recipes, and lead family members through cooking a main dish, vegetable dish and salad or dessert. While family members eat dinner, we will present food ways and culinary history in that week's targeted region. In the Fall semester we will teach about agricultural revolutions, cooking and culinary history in: 1) the fertile crescent; 2) Arabian desert and oases; 3) ancient Israel; 4) ancient Babylon and Egypt; 5) ancient Greece; 6) ancient Rome; 7) Celtic France; 8) medieval Europe; 9) the Islamic empire; 10) the Mongolian Empire; and 11) the Mediterranean era of world exploration and exploitation. In the Spring semester we will teach about agricultural revolutions, cooking and culinary history in: ancient 1) China; 2) Korea; and 3) Japan; 4) Southeast Asia; 5) sub-Saharan Africa; and in 6) ancient Maya and 7) Aztec civilizations in the "New World. We will finish the semester with instruction and cooking from the Pacific Basin: 8) Melanesia; 9) Micronesia; 10) Polynesia; and 11) the Pacific continents. We will continue to work with intermediate school students from the SEEQs school. We will expand our garden and farm tours to public school classes. We will recruit additional students from populations at-risk for educational failure. During the summer we will again offer a garden landscaping workshop to the community. We will present findings at 2 national conferences: the National Association of College Teachers of Agriculture, and the Experiential Learning Association.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the previous period (Fall 2015-Fall 2016) I drafted and field-tested units 1-4 of the curriculum, on: 1) CSA farming; 2) soil science; 3) plant science; and 4) the role of water in plant growth. Each unit comprises a month of instruction, consisting of four chapters, one per week. During the current funding period, I finalized the 16 textbook chapters of Units 1-4. Our team completed teacher-support materials for each chapter, i.e.: a PowerPoint lecture; lab-activity and field-science activity for each chapter that covered agricultural best-practices for the concepts covered in each unit. I also drafted and field-tested the next four units (5-8) on: 5) the science of composting, 6) plant nutrient requirements, 7) growing in water (hydroponics/aquaponics), and 8) Integrated Pest Management. PI Martini signed a book contract with Xlibris Press to produce a complete, 2-volume curriculum package. One volume consists of textbook chapters (for students to read). A second volume consists of teacher aids for each chapter of the book (PowerPoint lectures, Laboratory activities, Agricultural Field Activities, and Possible student research topics). Final versions of the submitted drafts are to be submitted for publication in February 2018. Fourteen teens were trained on Wednesday afternoons during this period. They trained for 5 hours a week on Wednesdays, instructed by college age mentors. Each week, they completed these activities: 2:30-3:30 tending the farm, harvesting ripe vegetables, packing and selling CSA baskets; putting vegetables on to cook for supper; 3:30-4:15 attending a concept lecture, with group learning activities; 4:15-5:15 learning agricultural "best practices" in the field; 5:15-6:00 completing lab activities in the indoor lab; 6:00-7:00 eating supper while discussing research applications in their mentoring group. The teens showed statistically significant gains in knowledge as measured by pre-tests at the beginning of each unit and post-tests at the end. They consolidated skills in setting up a CSA business, amending the soil, selecting, planting, caring for and harvesting food plants, and installing irrigation systems. They developed new, hands-on skills in building and using a compost system, diagnosing plant problems, fertilizing plants, treating diseases and constructing and operating hydroponic systems. In addition to training teens, we "trained the trainers" (college age students), and twelve, Intermediate school students from the SEEQs school in Honolulu. The younger students were instructed in similar skills as above, but in the context of building, planting and harvesting from a "sustainable family garden" rather than a "CSA farm".
Publications
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Progress 10/15/15 to 09/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Work during this period (10/15/2015-9/30/2016) consisted of developing curricula, writing weekly lesson plans, creating PowerPoint presentations and pilot-testing these materials. During the academic semesters, the PI finalized 12 agricultural science PowerPoint lectures and 30 lab exercises. In addition, student assistants wrote field activities for the 12 topic areas. We pilot-tested these materials with a target audience of 17 teens, who attended the FETCH Teen Internship in Sustainable Sciences 5 hours a week for 12 weeks. We provided 65 participant hours of experiential science training per week to these target teens. This resulted in a total provision of 775 teen-participant hours of experiential learning, piloting the materials, during the three months. We worked weekly with 10-12 intermediate students from SEEQs School (A sustainability focused charter school in Honolulu). Students attended from 2:45-4:00 each Friday throughout the Fall, 2016 semester, approximately 19 youth service hours a week for 12 weeks=231 hours of intermediate student instructional hours. We also developed and pilot testedcurricular materials for family gardening and cooking. The PI drafted 11 PowerPoint lectures on culinary practices and history in 6 different regions of the world, as well as 11 recipes and cooking activities. These materials were pilot-tested with members of 10 families who attended and cooked at the FETCH Family Strengthening program, 3.5 hours a week for 11 weeks. The Family Strengthening counselors also designed 11 family gardening activities.We worked with an average of 21 family members per week, for 3.5 hours each week. We provided 74 participant hours of family gardening and cooking instruction per week, for 11 weeks, or 774 family-member-hours for the reporting period. In the summer of 2016, we ran a 5-week program, from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. On Mondays we worked with 10community adults and 5 youth, providing instruction in garden-landscape design, by Dr. Andrew Kaufmann. On Tuesdays through Fridays, we worked with 12 youth on garden design, carpentry, regional art and regional cuisine. Ten participantswere Micronesian intermediate school students from the Institute for Human Services, whose families were homeless. With this summer program, we provided 150 additional hours of instruction to each of numerous community members. In addition, we trained, monitored and supervised 3 graduate students and 7 undergraduate interns during the period. The graduate students worked on these programs, on average, 20 hours a week or 60 hours a week of graduate training (700 hours). The 7 undergraduate students were trained and their work supervised for 7 hours or 49 hours of undergraduate training/supervision per week (588 hours total). In summary, we provided: 775 hours of teen-training; 774 hours of family-member training; and 1,288 hours of university-student training during this period. Changes/Problems:Rather than training and relying on Master Gardeners stationed at the Pearl City Urban Garden (a half-hour drive away), we decided to establish a working relationship with the newly relocated UH Manoa Master Gardeners, who will be stationed in the same building at Hale Tuahine as we are. Since this building is next to our youth farm site, where teen instruction takes place, we believe this shift will accommodate both the Manoa Master Gardeners and our staff and participants, since we will be able to continue the instructional program at the UHM Hale Tuahine site. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?College students working on this project received training, guided planning, and were monitored weekly in their work with youth. They attended 3 hours of staff training/group supervision per week. Students performed better, pre and post, on the content-matter tests and rated their practical, farming and teaching skills as significantly higher at the end of the semester. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We presented methods, curricula and findings at the NACTA 2016 conference in Honolulu, at an Oral and Poster Presentation; (please see citations, above). We work weekly with public charter school teachers from SEEQs school and their students. Throughout the summer of 2016, we worked with 12 community adults from a variety of institutions (Olelo Hawaiian Television director, school garden consultant, secondary school teachers, etc.). We produced an Olelo Television announcement. We provide tours of the Youth Farm, Regions of the World Gardens and Model Household Gardens,for Hawaii Public School students, UHMInternational Student Organization,Freshmen Dorm orientation and other interested community members. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Submit the 12-unit curriculum for review to Hawaii Agricultural Research Corporation for fact checking. Submit the curriculum for pre-publication to Xlibris Publishers. Complete PowerPoint lectures, and write ups of lab activities and field activities for the remaining 8 units of the organic farming curriculum; Complete the research methods lessons and guided activities, for teens to conduct and report on their group's research project. Extensively train student-workers in effective relations with teens and family members, as well as in science teaching methods for working with teens and other family members in hands-on science, cooking and nutrition. Present findings at summer NACTA conferences; offer tours of regional cooking gardens and CSA farm, etc. Recruit additional students from populations at-risk for educational failure, to participate in the field-testing of the curriculum.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We drafted and field-tested units 1-4 (human nutrition, soil science, botany, composting) of a 12-unit curriculum in Sustainable, Organic Farming, at the high school level. We conducted pre and post-tests and students showed statistically significant increases in knowledge in those 4 areas. Students rated their lab and field activities for levels of interest and knowledge gained. Students showed significant increases in practical and trade skills in farm planning, soil preparation, seeding, and composting, as well as culinary skills in cooking, meal planning and nutrition. Students showed increased appreciation of food diversity and tendencies to "eat healthy". Significantly more students expressed interest in attending college and engaged in college application processes at the end of the semester as compared to the beginning. We developed working relationships with the new, UH Manoa-based Master Gardener coordinator andhelped him set up an office in the building next to our youth farm. He is excited to have his Master Gardeners begin to be trained in this program in the coming grant period.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Martini, M., T. Kurosawa, K. Sakai (2016) "Effectiveness of an Experiential Agriculture Program with At-Risk Hawaiian Teens," Oral Presentation at July, 2015 conference, Georgia, published in NACTA Abstracts
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Martini, M., K. Sakai, T. Kurosawa (2016) "Strengthening Families through Sustainable Agriculture" Poster Presentation at July, 2015 NACTA conference, Georgia, published in NACTA Abstracts
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Martini, M., L. Wall, and K. Terem (2017) "Teaching Healthy Lifestyles and Cultural Appreciation to Youth by Building and Cooking from Regions-of-the-World Gardens," NACTA (North American College Teachers Association), Oral Presentation at July 2016 conference, Honolulu, Publication of Conference presentation abstracts.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Martini, M. (2017) "Teaching Sustainable Gardening by Modeling a Family-Sustaining System," Poster Presentation at NACTA Conference, July, 2016, Honolulu, to be published in abstracts.
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