Growing Kids' Connections to Food and Farms
Heather Darby and Alburgh students at Borderview Farm
For over 20 years, South Hero Land Trust has been connecting students with local food and farms through our education programs with Folsom School. This work deepens kids’ relationships with the land, helping foster a land stewardship ethic for the next generation.
Equally important is the impact it has on students’ health, well-being, and learning. When kids get to pet a cow, sow a seed, or share a meal they grew themselves, there is an immense joy; something every kid in our community deserves to experience.
Alburgh School and Grand Isle School also have long histories of farm to school (FTS) programs, and have recently been working more with Healthy Roots Collaborative (HRC) and the Grand Isle NRCD to connect students with local food and farms. Building off our existing relationships with these two partner organizations, we started discussing how if we worked together, this could be an opportunity to strengthen the collective FTS movement across the county. We then applied for and were awarded a Vision Grant from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, which gives us two years of funding to explore and develop this collaboration.
“Our youngest generation is our most valuable resource in shaping the future. Getting kids out in the fields to see, touch, and learn where their food comes from is an essential part of keeping agriculture part of the Islands
”
Folsom student at Hackett’s Orchard
One of our first tasks is to complete a retrospective of all FTS work done in the county over the past 20 years, connecting with the parents, teachers, students and community champions of FTS, while gathering stories of successes, failures, and lessons learned. In addition to facilitating collaborations across the county, we are partnering with all three schools to increase their connections with local farms and food.
We are also hosting FTS activities to generate interest and excitement about farm to school. Each school is deepening connections with local farms. Each season, one grade from each school visits “their” farmer or visits the farm: Borderview Farm for Alburgh School students, Sandy Bottom Farm for Grand Isle School students, and Hackett’s Orchard for Folsom. On various field trips, students have harvested winter squash to donate to the Champlain Islands Food Shelf; helped with seed saving; ground flour from local grain to make crepes, and learned innovative ways to reduce pests in apple orchards. These experiences deepen students’ understanding of how food is grown in Vermont and how farmers are stewarding the land year-round. They also strengthen students’ relationships with their community and ecosystem, and give hands-on connections to many school subjects.
“The Farm to School program has led to a deeper understanding of the food we eat and the land we live on.”
One highlight of the project so far was the Harvest Dinner last December at Grand Isle Elementary. Farmers, students, teachers, and volunteers put in so much work to make this special community event possible. Produce was purchased from local farms, and each grade contributed to the meal. We are looking forward to the harvest dinners at Folsom and Alburgh coming soon!
Through this project, we hope to grow a sustainable countywide Farm to School program that will thrive well into the future.
Alburgh School students exploring dry bean fields at Borderview Farm.
“These experiences help students see themselves as part of something bigger, connected to their community, their environment, and the people who help sustain both.”