Year-Round Garden Class in Food Desert Community

Project Summary

Year-round afterschool garden program for K-8th grade students in Nashville teaches sustainable agriculture and food systems education to address food desert challenges, covering topics from plant biology to farm-to-table connections while providing hands-on growing experience and fresh produce.

Detailed Story

Harvest Hands Community Development Corporation runs a year-round garden class and afterschool program for 10-25 students in grades K-8th, focusing on teaching where food comes from because the community lives in a food desert. The program has been operating since March 2023, providing comprehensive agricultural and climate education. Students learn about plant cells, photosynthesis, carbon footprint of food, farm to table connections, mycelium, organic farming, pollination, and pollinators. The hands-on approach allows students to grow their own produce and take vegetables home in their backpacks. Student feedback has been enthusiastic, with comments like “I’m going to try to eat more vegetables!” and connections to family gardening traditions such as “My grandmother gardens, she grows a lot.” Students also enjoy trying freshly picked produce, including hot peppers straight from the garden. The program successfully bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application while addressing food access issues in their community.

Impact Statement

10-25 K-8th grade students gained understanding of sustainable agriculture and food systems, learned about plant biology and climate connections, developed enthusiasm for eating more vegetables, connected classroom learning to family gardening traditions, took fresh produce home to families, addressed food access challenges in food desert community through hands-on growing experience