One of KYNEP’s goals is to support policy, systems and environment change so that more limited resource Kentuckians can access fresh foods. The KYNEP budget holds funding to support food based gardening and also asks Extension Agents and NEP Assistants to report back their efforts. In 2023, KYNEP distributed $200 to each county in Kentucky to support food-based gardening and Nutrition Education. Only ten counties in Kentucky accessed these funds and a total of 14 sites, (8 Substance Use Recovery Centers and 6 school or community gardens) were reported on in the KYNEP Food Systems Survey.

In 2024, KYNEP restructured their support of food-based gardening initiatives to increase the amount of financial support and their reach to limited resource Kentuckians to engage in food based gardening. KYNEP created an application process so that any Extension Agent or NEP Assistant could apply for funding based on garden location to support food gardening and nutrition education. With the change in process, counties who needed funds could apply for up to $1,500 to support gardening.

As of June 2024, KYNEP awarded all available funding to 28 different counties and is supporting gardening and nutrition education at 34 different sites within these counties. These sites represent 17 community gardens, 10 recovery gardens and 7 school gardens that all serve limited resource Kentuckians in accessing nutrition education and fresh food. Extension Personnel who are recipients of the KY NEP School, Community & Recovery Garden Grant will fill out the KYNEP Food Systems Survey in late August of 2024 where additional data on each site will be collected.

Increasing direct access to fresh fruits and vegetables via coordinated gardening and nutrition education programming from Cooperative Extension can help families improve their diet quality through an increased consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables.