Campbell County CES

Title:

Home Horticulture - Community Gardens

MAP:

Home Horticulture - Community Gardens

Agents Involved:

Stolz, Turner, Vaughn, Pilcher

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Home & Consumer Horticulture

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Food Preparation

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Situation:

The Northern Kentucky Community Gardens Program is a collaboration between the city of Highland Heights, Northern Kentucky University, Campbell County Detention Center, Brighton Center, St. Paul Episcopal Church, Hosea House, Holly Hill Children’s Home, VA Medical Center Recreation Therapy, Two Rivers Senior Apartments, Clifton Hills Senior Apartments and the Campbell County Extension Service. 85% of Campbell County is considered urban. This collaboration provides land and educational assistance to individuals and families that may not have access to land for vegetable gardening. Through this joint effort, over 300 families are able to grow their own fresh, organic produce and 13 retailers purchase produce from the Detention Center.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Provide the opportunity for healthy, sustainable food, and act as a catalyst for community engagement and developing partnerships. Establish relationships with local food pantries to distribute excess produce on a weekly basis.

Intermediate Outcomes:

Support community gardeners in their efforts to grow fresh, organic produce. Work with the community gardeners and community members to distribute excess food to a local food pantry. The health benefits to growing one’s own food: decrease in diabetes, decrease in obesity, increase in community development, increase in healthier recipes with produce from the garden and an increase in economic development.

Initial Outcomes:

Provide opportunity for more participants by increasing the number of garden plots. Work to improve conditions of the gardens through soil amendments, composting and educating gardeners about vegetable pests and diseases (BMP’s).

Evaluation:

Long-term: Outcome: Gardeners will donate a portion of their produce to a local food pantry or soup kitchen
Indicator: Amount of produce donated
Method: Collaborate with local soup kitchens and food pantries
Timeline: July 2017-June 2018

Intermediate Outcome: Cooking from the Garden
Indicator: survey
Method: collaborate with SNAP-Ed to provide 6 week program on cooking and safe food preparation
Timeline: July 2017 – June 2018

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Community gardens participants

Project or Activity: Pre-gardening class, Organic gardening classes, food safety classes, cooking classes

Content or Curriculum: Proven organic techniques, specific classes on vegetables

Inputs: Horticulture Agent, Horticulture Technicians, SNAP-ED assistant

Date: July 2017-June 2018