Accessing Nutritious Foods 1
Healthy Lifestyles
Corinne Belton, Regina Browning, Walt Reichert
Local Food Systems
Home & Consumer Horticulture
4-H Leadership Core Curriculum
Nutrition education programs and local food systems help families gain access to food and stretch food dollars, help communities decrease hunger, and help local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy and safe food preparation methods. Agents, paraprofessionals and volunteers are pivotal in influencing policies, systems and environments and in training consumers and producers to maximize local access to food products from farm to table.
Demand for home horticulture information continues to increase in Shelby County. Shelby County Master Gardener trained volunteers are able to assist county Extension staff in meeting this need for research-based information and public outreach.
*Families will increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables
*Families will gain access to food and stretch food dollars
*Access to local foods in restaurants, retail outlets, schools and other institutions is increased
*Consumer confidence in and demand for local foods is maintained or increased
*The public has a positive perception of EMG volunteers as reliable sources for home horticulture information.
*EMG Volunteers extend the educational outreach of the Cooperative Extension Service in areas such as community gardens, youth gardening, environmentally sustaining lawn and garden practices, and other topics
*Increase number of people who access local foods
*Increase number of youth and adults who plant, harvest and/or preserve produce
*Hunger is decreased
*Producers diversify types and varieties of produce grown and sold
*Producers apply food safety practices and/or procedures
*Producers earn certification for Home Based Microprocessing and USDA GAP
*Participants (certified EMG volunteers) put into practice the skills learned when completing volunteer hours and working with clientele
*Participants engage as facilitators and presenters for classes, lectures, or workshops delivered
*EMG volunteers have positive perceptions of their role as reliable sources for home horticulture information
*Increase KOSA in healthy eating, food safety and food resource management
*Increase awareness of availability of fresh, local produce
*Increase KOSA in growing food
*Increase food safety handling procedures
*Understand procedures for safe food processing
*Identify production methods and agricultural food products that extend the growing season
*Explain local food needs and purchasing procedures
*Participants gain knowledge in many aspects of home horticulture. This is measured through regular quizzes
*Participants become Certified EMG volunteers when they master the curriculum and provide 30 hours in volunteer service to the local Cooperative Extension Office.
Initial Outcome: Increase KOSA in understanding sustainable, local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being. Increase KOSA in planting, harvesting and preserving foods.
Indicator: Number who gained KOSA in understanding sustainable, local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being. Increase KOSA in planting, harvesting and preserving foods.
Method: End of program evaluations and self-reporting
Timeline: Annually
Intermediate Outcome: Individuals access more local foods. Individuals plant, harvest and/or preserve their own food. Individuals apply improved food preparation, management and food safety skills. Individuals share new KOSA with others as EMG volunteers.
Indicator: Number of individuals purchasing, planting, harvesting and/or preserving, preparing local foods safely. Number of EMG sharing KOSA with others.
Method: End-of-program surveys, observation
Timeline: Annually
Long-term Outcome: Individuals and institutions seek first to utilize locally grown foods. EMG assist Extension personell in teaching hort programs and answering questions.
Indicator: Number of individuals and institutions who utilize locally grown foods. Number of EMG assisting with Extension programming
Method: Self-reporting and observation
Timeline: Year-to-year over next decade
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Master Gardener Classes
Content or Curriculum: Master Gardener curriculum, guest speakers, Extension publications
Inputs: MG curriculum, guest speakers, Extension publications, specialists, horticulture technician
Date:
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Garden Tours
Content or Curriculum: MG Curriculum, guest speakers, Extension publications
Inputs: MG Curriculum, guest speakers, Extension publications, specialists, horticulture technician
Date:
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Breakfast on the Farm
Content or Curriculum: Local producers and local foods
Inputs: Local foods and farms
Date: June 2020
Audience: Local producers
Project or Activity: Rooted in Shelby
Content or Curriculum: Kentucky Proud certification, application
Inputs: Kentucky Proud, agent, volunteers
Date: Year Round
Audience: 4-H School Clubs
Project or Activity: Windowsill Gardening
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum, Gardening information
Inputs: seeds, trays, educational materials
Date: April 2020
Author: Corinne Belton
Major Program: Local Food Systems
Rooted In Shelby is a volunteer-conceived and implemented program designed to promote the sale of horticultural, agricultural and other products produced by Kentucky Proud enterprises located in Shelby County. Areas represented can be anything grown or produced in Shelby County, including but not limited to, meat, dairy, equine, fruits, vegetables, grains, sod, honey, and artisanal farm products. A recognizable logo is used in conjunction with the Kentucky Proud logo to indicate a product&
Author: Corinne Belton
Major Program: Local Food Systems
As in other communities, Shelby County is seeing a renewed interest in local foods, homegrown food production and small farming. The county has seen steady growth in land ownership in the 1-49 acre range and farms reporting sales in the $1-$2500 range numbered 656 in 2012. To support these new farmers, and to allowing networking among new and existing farmers, the Hort & Ag Advisory Council formed Rooted in Shelby in 2014. Rooted in Shelby is a program designed to promote the sal