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.

APPROACH: Methods:1. Program staff and partners will deliver the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) curriculum to participating youth. Thisprogramming consists of a hands-on, experiential based series of activities and interactions that are scheduled weekly.Analysis of the effectiveness of this program will be actualized by the implementation of a successful garden plan.Efforts that will cause change include building self-esteem, sharing knowledge of soil and plant systems and their relationship to urban agriculture systems and quality of life.Evaluation will be measured by the achievement of JMG certification by 50% of the participating population.2. Program staff and partners will provide All Terrain Brain (Three Chicks Media, 2006) and othe appropriate Extension curricula to deliver entrepreneurial programming. This programming will be hands-on, experiential and utilize the local markets,market rates, garden design and planting guides that will be present within the participants community. With guidance and supervision, participants will be actively designing their own practicum as developing entrepreneurs; considering market commodities, price setting, chosing and designing production methods and garnering clients.Analysis of the participant inputs will be made through observation anddiscussion with market managers and retail outlets, participant attendance as a measure of engagement and production quotas.Efforts that will serve to provide community enhancements are the development of links between participants and existing retail and/or wholesale points of sale. These links will underscore the value of the community and work effortof participants.Evaluation of the success of the entrepreneurial training will be based on the completion of garden upgrades and new garden builds.These variables will be quantified bycollecting attendance and participation data throughout its implementation.3. Program staff and partners will deliver training on food safety. These experiences will be conducted with produce grown by the participants; preharvest conditions (soil contaminants; pests) harvest, post harvest handling, and packaging will all occur as experienced based activities as a part of the production cycle.Analysis of the activities will be made by observation of implementation of safe food guidelines.Efforts that will serve to change behavior include training in the relationship between management of perishable food items and health. Understanding pathways of food borne illness and how to minimize risk will cause a change in the pattern of food handling and preparation.Evaluation of the programming will be made through the observation of consistent and repetitive good management and food handling practices by participants.

PROGRESS: 2020/03 TO 2021/02
Target Audience:The target audience reached by program efforts during this reporting period were low-income minority, at-risk youth, and adults with various intellectual disabilities Changes/Problems:All WVSU EXtension staff began to work remotely in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in hopes of lessening the spread of the deadly virus and upholding our duty to keep our program partners safe. In person classes were conducted January - March 2020. Most of the classes and interactions with the youth conducted from April 2020 - February 2021 were virtual. The JMG curriculum proved difficult to convert to virtual lessons with all of our cohorts. The adult students from the Center for Supported Learning (no longer a formal organization) were instrumental in general maintenance in the Maudella Taylor Garden in 2019. Since we were unable to meet in person for this reporting period some students were inspired to create gardens at their homes. They are interested in restarting the weekly gardening program in 2021 if we are able to do so safely. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Project Coordinator had the opportunity to attend several professional development activities virtually due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic. The National Association of Extension 4H Youth Development Professionals Virtual Spring Conference "A Vision for the Future" (October 2020) was effective at bringing together knowledge, research, and real-world examples of successful virtual 4H program offerings. Trauma-Informed Pedagogy: Teaching in Uncertain Times was an insightful overview of what students may have been experiencing during the pandemic. The West Virginia Agricultural Extension 4H Association Winter Professional Development Day - "A Winter Warm-Up - Taking Time to Recharge" (February 2021) was a great opportunity to network with other extension professionals in my state. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have not yet been disseminated to community members. A digital toolkit geared towards individuals interested in starting and managing a youth garden is being written. This toolkit will be shared with our cohorts and made accessible to the general public as well. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?There were many non-formal partnerships formulated during this reporting period between many of the neighbors to the Maudella Taylor Garden in Huntington, WV including the Marshall University Sustainability Department. The digital toolkit will be completed during the next reporting period. There will be further development and expansion of the existing youth gardens by the project coordinator and the youth and adult students. With guidance from the program coordinator, the students will create a garden plan to increase the production of the produce. Specific programming on food safety and post-harvest handling of fresh produce will be taught to all program participants. A food safety plan and standard operating procedure for all program garden sites will be implemented. The Wildlife Gardener curriculum from JMG will be taught during the next reporting period so that youth may obtain a JMG certification. With the sustainability of the program and the gardens in mind, there will be further discussions with our program partners about how to maintain the gardens into the future, after the grant is expired.

IMPACT: 2020/03 TO 2021/02
What was accomplished under these goals? Activities from the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) curriculum were implemented at A.D. Lewis and Ebenezer afterschool reaching 45 youth. KidsGardening.org was utilized as a resource for in-person and virtual lesson planning. Students explored topics in environmental science, gardening, and nutrition. The Program Coordinator and Assistant Program Director met quarterly to review the progress of the project and to address concerns. The youth at the Ebenezer Community Outreach Center helped in creating and, more importantly, maintaining their garden consisting of two large raised beds. The students were able to harvest many times throughout the summer and fall and take home produce to share with their families. The project coordinator utilized and greatly expanded the production garden at the Maudella Taylor Garden to preserve the urban farm for future educational activities for the youth.The SCRATCH Tool-kit was further developed by the program coordinator. Supporting extension staff helped to determine pertinent JMG activities that would be used to replicate the SCRATCH program. Classes were conducted indoors virtually and outdoors in the gardens. Student and staff evaluations were created using Common Measures.

PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2020/03 TO 2021/02
No publications reported this period.