grants
help
school
gardens
grow
in
arkansas
Courtesy Arkansas Department
of Agriculture
One of the best things about
growing vegetables and other plants is
their adaptability. To get started, you
simply need seeds or seedlings, soil,
water, light, and a container to hold it
all together. Add some attention, care,
and patience as they grow, and you
will eventually have mature, healthy
plants.
School gardens are natural
classrooms that provide hands-on
learning opportunities for nutrition,
agriculture, and experiential education
across all disciplines. Gardens help
students develop healthy eating habits
and discover how food grows.
"Kids learn best by being curious,
and a garden is a great place for them
to explore," said Sarah Lane, the
Program Coordinator of the Farm to
School and Early Childhood Education
Program at the Arkansas Department
of Agriculture. "School gardens
provide hands-on innovative learning
experiences, they get students moving
and working collaboratively, they help
the school connect to the community,
and they can also provide locally
grown produce to the cafeteria."
However, the reality for many K-12
schools and child care centers can
be different than the vision of school
gardens. Often, the money needed
to build a garden big enough to serve
as many students as possible can cost
more than schools are able to commit
to the project.
In November 2020, the Arkansas
School Garden Grant Program was
established to help schools start or
expand gardens on school grounds.
The grant program was the first
of its kind in Arkansas and was
developed with funding from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's (USDA)
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program,
which aims to increase production of
specialty crops, like vegetables and
fruits, in school gardens.
"Since 2019, when the Arkansas
Department of Agriculture created a
Farm to School and Early Childhood
Education Program, we have identified
that funding is a huge barrier for
schools," Lane said. "By offering
grant funding for school gardens, we
remove that challenge. It also allows
us to directly support school leaders
through trainings, technical assistance,
and resources."
After the applications were reviewed
in January, 35 schools, 13 child care
centers, and four alternative learning
environments were each awarded
$500 grants, totaling $26,000,
to start or expand their school
garden. According to the Arkansas
Department of Agriculture, students
across 23 counties in Arkansas were
impacted by these grants.
"The reaction from the schools who
received the grants has been very
enthusiastic," said Hanna Davis, the
"our grant
funds are like
the seed that
is planted
within the
school and
community."
~ sarah lane
44 • June 2021 • www.officialkidsMag.com
