Source: FAIRBANKS NATIVE ASSOCIATION submitted to
FAIRBANKS ELDERS & YOUTH COMMUNITY GARDEN ENTERPRISE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1010137
Grant No.
2016-33800-25605
Project No.
ALKW-2016-02530
Proposal No.
2016-02530
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
LN.C
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2016
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2018
Grant Year
2016
Project Director
Eddy, K.
Recipient Organization
FAIRBANKS NATIVE ASSOCIATION
605 HUGHES AVE STE 100
FAIRBANKS,AK 99701
Performing Department
Elders Program
Non Technical Summary
The Fairbanks Native Association (FNA) Fairbanks Elders & Youth Community Garden Enterprise will create a local food distribution system to provide hard-to-access fresh vegetables to at least 500 Elders and low-income individuals in the urban community of Fairbanks, Alaska. FNA will include low-income Elders, youth and families at all phases of planning the garden project, community outreach, educational workshops/classes and volunteer coordination. The project will teach gardening to low-income Elders/Youth and facilitate harvesting, distributing and selling of vegetables in a hands-on entrepreneurial project. Outputs of the project will be locally grown fresh vegetables, youth job creation, community involvement, exercise and social activities for elders and applied knowledge about gardening and food preparation. Changes that will occur as a results of this project are: increased access to fresh vegetables by low-income populations that face barriers to access, lowered cost vegetables, vibrant volunteer community, safer more nutritious food, increased entrepreneurial skills, increased consumption of vegetables and increased food security/independence by low-income populations in downtown urban Fairbanks, Alaska. The Fairbanks Native Association Fairbanks Elders & Youth Community Garden Enterprise aims to reach at least 500 low-income residents of downtown Fairbanks each year of the project, either through volunteerism and/or as customers who are buying vegetables.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
70414991010100%
Knowledge Area
704 - Nutrition and Hunger in the Population;

Subject Of Investigation
1499 - Vegetables, general/other;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;
Goals / Objectives
Goal: Create an Elder-Youth Garden in downtown Fairbanks which will link gardening activities, elders, youth and create new distribution channels to increase vegetable access by low-income Elders and families.Year 1: Objectives: FNA Planning and Development department will assist with setting up a tracking system to ensure progress/success/data collection; Program coordinator will begin implementing garden project; First gardening education workshop; First community garden meeting; Program coordinator and 2 Youth Garden Coordinators will recruit volunteer gardeners; Harvesting, distribution, sales of vegetables; Host a nutrition education food preparation class with UAF Cooperative Extension. Year 2: Objectives: First Community garden meeting, year 2; Project staff and volunteers start seeds for 2nd year; First community garden meeting (held monthly); Host a nutrition education food preparation class; Program coordinator and 2 Youth Garden Coordinators will recruit volunteer gardeners; Harvesting, distribution, sales of vegetables
Project Methods
The Fairbanks Elders and Youth Community Garden Enterprise will evaluate project processes and project progress with the project's Logic Model submitted with the grant application. All evaluations/surveys will be geared toward tracking the outcomes and outputs in the logic model.The process evaluation methods will include: Common Output Tracking Form (required for USDA Community Food Project grantees); Program Satisfaction and Quality Surveys; Project Participant and Non-Participants Focus Groups; Training and Technical Assistance Survey; and Community Stakeholder Surveys.The folliwng project level evaluations will be utilized throughout the project: Maket Customer Survey; Customer Survey Refusal Tracking Form; Gardening Education Class Survey; Market Overview Tracking Form (counting); Adult Community Garden Survey; Youth Community Garden Survey; Tracking for Attendance and Participation; Tracking for Produce (number of pounds produced); Tracking for Garden Characteristics.At the end of the two-year project a manual will be published to share the lesson learned and best practices for a sustainable community garden.

Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences reached by our garden efforts where Alaska Native/Native American Elders and Youth and the low-income population. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Community garden meetings were held monthly, during the growing season, from April to September at the Community Services conference room. Fifty-one volunteers assisted in the relocation of the garden, setting up the beds, planting, managing the garden through the growing season, harvesting, and closing down the garden for the season. During the course of the growing season, staff and volunteers toured all of the local community gardens to expand their knowledge base. They were able to apply that knowledge to their work in the Elder-Youth garden. The team worked closely with Risse Greenhouse.The Risse's teamprovided extensive insight intomultiple areas of gardening - soil, plant location in the garden, fertilizer, etc.Monthly nutrition education was provided at the Community Service's Elder Program building. During the course of the growing season, community members participated in jarring and preservation classes each month.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17

    Outputs
    Target Audience:During this report period the FNA Elders and Youth Community Garden project was able to reach Alaska Native Elders, socially and economically disadvantaged youth and their parents, the homeless population, local business leaders, reentry prisoners, tourists, Tribaland local public leadersthrough our outreach and education efforts. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the fall of 2017, we will be sponsoring a food preservation class, in collaboration with the University of Alaska Cooperative Extension. Volunteers will be recruited to assist in the preparing the garden for the winter- cutting back, cleaning up, etc. Program staff will prepare and have a plan of action for the next growing season. Program staff will continue to collaboratewith the Risse Green House, who has provided us with technical assistance and guidance.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Monthly garden meetingswere held in the report period (first Thursday of each month). The garden coordinator was hired along with the two youth garden coordinators. Volunteers were recruited to make the beds andthe prepare the garden site under the guidance of the project director. This initial phase took 13 volunteers and 488 work hours.The Garden Open House was held on July 14th. The University of Alaska Cooperative Extension provided the resources for the event.This event focused on gardening in the city,staff provided activities and resources, and nutritional information.The next event scheduled for the garden is on August 15th (which will be held towards the end of this report period). The event is designed for children and parents.Children will learn about the role of pollinators in the garden and will learn about pumpkins and zucchinni. The project coordinator and 2 youth garden coordinators have visited all of the local green houses and community gardens. The local Risse Green House has been providing our project with technical assistance and guidance, at no cost.

    Publications