Item No. 1 of 1

INVESTIGATOR: Payne, H.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
PO BOX 1000
INSTITUTE, WEST VIRGINIA 25112

CULTIVATING YOUNG AGRIPRENEURS

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The Cultivating Young Agrupreneurs project serves to enhance the quality of life in challenged urban neighborhoods by focusing on their most valuable resource - their youth. The Sustainable Community Revitalization Through Children's Hands (SCRATCH)program delivers not only the framework for a positive entrepreneural exercise in economically depressed areas, but delivers the STEM training and science based agricultural and food nutritionpractices that perform in non-rural applications. American families are demanding accessto fresh local foods. Unfortunately, this access is disproportional across urban populations. This program brings production to the doorstep offamilies and neighborhoodswho otherwise would not have the capacity to garden or grow a crop for market. A well grounded education in production, marketing, and food safety that is delivered as an experience based, hands-on andimmersive environmentis a provenavenue toward movingthe needleof individual self-esteem, community pride and economic development.Participants are first introduced to gardening through the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) curriculum. Garden sites are constructed to produce fruits and vegetables and participating youth interact in program based activities and work to sell produce and value-added products in their communities. The program is community led and youth driven. Priority is given to the expressed needs of the participants and the community. Urban communities can be provided the tools to improve their own standard of living through agriculture education. Implementation of a wide-rangingnetwork of urban micro-farms moves food production, health and well-being into the overall planning and development of our future cities.

OBJECTIVES: The goals for this project are attainable within the parameters of the reduction in funding. The following have been edited to reflect changes in personnel.B. Proposed Approach and Cooperative Linkages:1. Objectives:1. Encourage youth to participate in shaping West Virginia's local food system2. Expand existing garden production to increase capacity and encourage youth independence through food production, preparation and selling.3.Increase food safety knowledge and post-harvest handling skills in at-risk youth.4. Increase entrepreneurial skills with at-risk youth in West Virginia.2. Plan of Operation and MethodologyProgram staff working with site staff and volunteers will facilitate consistent interactions with youth using the JMG curriculum at the A.D. Lewis Center in the first year and expand to offer outreach opportunities and trainings out of the West Virginia National Guard Armory in Huntington. Youth participants will be encouraged using positive reinforcement and educational incentives such as recognition and community events which will generate interest and encourage participant retention. Youth participating in interactions will be encouraged to explore and experiment with skills gained through JMG curriculum, operating under the premise that, in education, there are no mistakes, only opportunities to learn. The Assistant Program Director will supervise the Program Coordinator to ensure that information is being recorded and the core values of the project are maintained.Objective 1: To encourage youth to participate in shaping the West Virginia's local food systemYouth involved in the SCRATCH Program will learn and grow to become part of the emerging local foods system in West VirginiaActivity 1-1: Delivery of Junior Master Gardener Program ActivitiesActivity 1-1-1: The Program Coordinator will schedule and facilitate JMG interactions with youth participating in the programYear 1 interactions will expand upon current interactions with A.D. Lewis Community CenterYear 2 will expand program offerings to include A.D. Lewis Community Center and the Huntington WVNG Armory with Lettuce GrowYear 3 will extend outreach opportunities to additional community groups and continue weekly interactions with A.D. Lewis Community Center and Huntington WVNG Armory with Lettuce GrowSchedule for the JMG interactions and the attendance will be reported to the Assistant Program Director monthly.Activity 1-1-2: The Program Coordinator and Assistant Program Director will meet quarterly to review the progress of the project and to address concerns.Output: 100 youth will be involved with the project; 50 will receive JMG certification by the end of year three through community based summer events.Activity 1-2: Development of Youth/Community Engagement OpportunitiesActivity 1-2-1: The Program Coordinator will facilitate opportunities for unpaid internships for local youth and young adult volunteersActivity 1-2-2: Youth participants will participate in garden builds.Activity 1-2-3: Each year youth will create and execute garden plans, caring for their site garden including dealing with pests and harvesting.Activity 1-2-4: Community based events will be hosted to encourage interaction and volunteerism within the programOutput: Youth and the surrounding community will become more invested in the program and the resulting harvested garden products will then be sold locally through appropriate, participant chosen venues such as pop-up farmer's markets or local restaurants. This will increase the economic viability of the surrounding area.Activity 1-3: Development of the SCRATCH Tool-kitActivity 1-3-1: The Program Coordinator and supporting extension staff will determine pertinent JMG and entrepreneurial activities required to replicate the SCRATCH programActivity 1-3-2: In year 3, A SCRATCH Tool-kit will be packaged and disseminated through trainingsOutput: Through the development of a SCRATCH Tool-kit and program trainings, other communities would be able to replicate the program efforts and work toward development of youth run urban farms that could serve as an economic driver within the local food communities around the state.Objective 2: Expand existing garden production to increase capacity and encourage youth independence through food production, preparation and selling.Expanding current agricultural production within urban farms will allow the youth in the program the opportunity to become budding agripreneurs and help to meet the demands illustrated in the local marketplace for fresh, local produce.Activity 2-1: Expansion and Utilization of Production Garden SitesActivity 2-1-1: Program and site staff as well as youth participants will expand existing youth gardens in the areaActivity 2-1-2: Youth participants, with guidance from program and site specific staff, will create a garden plan to increase production at each of the existing garden sites.Activity 2-1-3: Additional alternative production systems will be developed for hands-on youth education and increased production opportunitiesOutput: Expansion of garden sites and development of production infrastructure at the Huntington National Guard Armory will increase production capabilities resulting in increased production for youth involved with the project to harvest produce to be sold at market.Objective 3: Increase food safety knowledge and post-harvest handling skills in at-risk youth.In year 2 and 3, program staff will provide education to at-risk youth on proper food safety procedures and post-harvest handling skills utilizing infrastructure developed at the Huntington National Guard Armory.Activity 3-1: Delivery of programming to increase food safety based knowledgeActivity 3-1-1: Program staff will work with program partners to develop food safety plans and standard operating procedures for youth urban farms.Activity 3-1-2: Youth implement food safety plans and demonstrate knowledge through production and harvest of produce grown on urban farms.Activity 3-1-3: Youth produced products will be properly stored at the Huntington Armory until utilizedOutput: 50 students are expected to experience gains in food safety and post-harvest knowledgeObjective 4: Increase entrepreneurial skills with at-risk youth in West Virginia.Through the incorporation of entrepreneurial based curriculum, youth in the program will better prepared for agricultural entrepreneurial endeavors.Activity 4-1: Development and delivery of entrepreneurial programmingActivity 4-1-1: In year 2 and 3, program staff will work with site personnel to facilitate interactions that address entrepreneurship education using All Terrain Brain (Three Chicks Media, 2006) and other appropriate curricula.a) The Program Coordinator will facilitate interaction with All Terrain Brain and entrepreneurship curricula.b) Attendance will be recorded and included in the monthly report provided to the Assistant Project Director.Activity 4-2 Marketing and Sale of ProduceActivity 4-2-1: Program staff and participants will expand existing and develop new market opportunities for youth agricultural productsActivity 4-2-2: Youth will develop harvest schedules and production yields based on production plans to market to potential buyers a) Based on market analysis youth will determine price points for crops producedActivity 4-2-3: Program staff and participants will engage with local Farmer's Market Association to establish protocols and procedures necessary for the development of a pop-up market on location at the Huntington National Guard ArmoryOutput: After the first year, 75 students will then put the education into practice by choosing where and for how much to sell their products and how those funds will then be used and will increase analytical and critical thinking skills.