Extension
It Starts With Us
Healthy & Safe Food Prep Methods; Farm-to-table; Farmer's Market; SNAP; Gardening; Food Dollars
Accessing Nutritious Foods
Gary Druin, 4-H Agent; Greg Comer, ANR Agent
Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Home & Consumer Horticulture
Food Preservation
Farmer's Markets
Increases in obesity and diet-related diseases are major public health problems across Kentucky. Also, limited access to nutritious food and relatively easier access to less nutritious food may contribute to poor diets and, ultimately, to obesity and diet-related diseases. Another factor affecting Ohio County is the high number of low income/food stamp families. This is reflected in ~4300 students in Ohio County school system now being eligible for free breakfast/lunches while at school. Data from 2011 shows 1,959 children receive food stamps, up 16.9% from just 2 years prior.
Nutrition Education Programs (NEP) help families gain access to food and stretch food dollars; communities to decrease hunger; and local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy and safe food preparation methods. Agents, paraprofessionals and volunteers are pivotal in training consumers and producers to maximize local access to food products from farm to table.
•Individuals will increase consumption of fruits and vegetables through home/ community gardens/ orchards and/or accessing the local Farmers’ Market
•Individuals will prepare meals at home 5 or more times a week
•Farmer’s Market vendors and home gardeners will increase variety of healthy fruits and vegetables available for consumption
•SNAP/ WIC voucher redemptions will increase at Beaver Dam Community Farmer’s Market
•Families will access more local foods
•Individuals/ Families will adopt one recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines
•Individuals engage in good food safety practices
•Individuals will grow, care for, produce and preserve foods from personal gardens/ orchards to gain access to healthy foods
•SNAP/ WIC voucher holders will have increased awareness of available fruits/ vegetables at B.D Farmer’s Market
•School age children will increase awareness of producing their own vegetables
•Students will recognize the importance of eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables
•Students identify and classify fruits and vegetables
•Increase will describe food preparation techniques
•Individuals will describe food safety practices
•Individuals will describe safe food preservation techniques
•Individuals will develop skills and knowledge to grow their own garden/ orchard
•Partners will recognize the need for community social, environmental, and policy systems to address efforts toward improving healthier lifestyles
•Families will recognize the local availability of safe, nutritious fruits & vegetables at Farmer’s Market
•Residents of housing authorities will recognize the value of “community gardens” for access to local vegetables
Outcome: Individuals will increase consumption of fruits and vegetables from home/ community gardens/ orchards and/or increase access to the local Farmers’ Market
Indicator: Increase in Sales at the local Farmer’s Market.
Method: Pre/ Post evaluation. Sales data collected from the Farmer’s Market.
Timeline: All year
Evaluation:
Outcome: Individuals/ Families will adopt one recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported adopting at least one of the recommendations from the dietary guidelines.
Method: Pre/ Post evaluation
Timeline: All year
Evaluation:
Outcome: Individuals will describe safe food preservation techniques
Indicator: Increase number of program participants and individuals using Extension as a resource for food preservation
Method: Pre/ Post evaluations, Daily Service Log
Timeline: May - August
Audience: School Age Youth
Project or Activity: Farm to School
Content or Curriculum: SNAP Snack like a Super Hero, Plate-It-Up
Inputs: Extension Staff, County Homemakers, County Schools & Teachers, School News Broadcast Team, Local producers, Green River Area District Health Dept., Extension Resources, USDA Farm to School program, City & Government Officials
Date: August 2019 – May 2020
Audience: Low-Income Individuals/ Families, Families with Children
Project or Activity: Farmer’s Market (WIC), Children’s Farmer’s Market
Content or Curriculum: Plate-It-Up, SNAP, Food Preservation Programs, Homebased Micro-processing training
Inputs: Extension Staff, Local Producers, County Homemakers, Local Media (Radio, Newspaper, Facebook), Health Care Providers, KDA, KY Proud Produce Availability Sheets
Date: May – August 2020
Audience: Youth and Adults
Project or Activity: Food Preservation Programs
Content or Curriculum: So Easy to Preserve, UK Food Preservation Program and Pubs
Inputs: UK specialist, FCS Agent, Ball Bluebook, Local Media
Date: May-August 2020
Audience: School age children
Project or Activity: Community gardens at schools
Content or Curriculum: ANR Publications, Ready Set Grow
Inputs: ANR/ FCS Agents, KDA, SNAP, Public Schools
Date: April – August 2020
Audience: Home gardeners
Project or Activity: Growing Your Own Vegetables
Content or Curriculum: UK pubs
Inputs: Agents, specialists
Date: Winter 2019-2020
Audience: Homemaker Garden Club
Project or Activity: Home Horticulture
Content or Curriculum: ANR pubs
Inputs: Extension agents, specialists
Date: Year-round
Author: Gregory Comer
Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
The onset of COVID-19 created a new paradigm for many across the U.S and Kentucky. Access to nutritious foods was more limited than it has been since the last World War. Since many people were off work, raising vegetables in a garden became more popular. To assist local citizens, the Agriculture agents and FCS program Assistant prepared to-go kits on gardening & composting, for local people to pick up at the office, distributed to Food Pantry participants and
