Community Garden and Fresh Market: Growing a Service Learning Initiative

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

The Fairfield Middle School Community Garden and Fresh Market is an innovative, student-centered, community-driven urban agriculture project. It is aimed at increasing student achievement by providing opportunities for academic and life-skills integration while meeting an identified community need for more security in the availability of food. The garden and fresh market service-learning program gives students a chance to apply cross-curricular classroom knowledge in a hands-on, real-world environment. The garden encourages students to learn the importance of fresh, locally produced food and its relationship to health, culture and community impact. It promotes environmental stewardship and civic engagement. The youth-led farmers market allows students to increase 21st-century skills, reinforce academic content, promote financial literacy and give back to their community. Achieving our goals of student growth and community impact requires an ongoing effort. We accomplish it by building and sustaining partnerships with local businesses, universities and government agencies; by maintaining the support and involvement of school faculty through professional development; by expanding community support through outreach workshops; and by continuous reflection and adaptation.