Launching in 2022, Farmer Foodshare’s Adopt-a-Crop! Project guides Durham-based middle school students through an immersive 8-week unit about local food systems and nutrition by modeling an agricultural co-op in the classroom. Small groups within each class “adopt” a crop grown in North Carolina, then explore and apply the skills required to successfully steward that crop from farm to table.
Students take a hands-on role in learning about:
- Soil testing, amendments, and preparation
- Market math: planning quantities for planting based on intended sale quantity and market pricing
- Plant health, through virtual or in-person observation
- Designing a solution to a climate change challenge
- Developing a nutrition-centered marketing plan for encouraging consumption of their crop, including a healthy recipe
- Producing a project log, produce campaign, and media presentation of their recipe
Adopt-a-Crop is designed to ignite interest in STEM- and agricultural science careers and encourage interest in nutrition and healthy eating — all while reinforcing state essential learning standards.
Interested in learning more? Contact Erica.
Resources for Families Program: Making nutrition easier
We’ve all seen something at the market that we don’t recognize. These one-page info sheets are meant to remove the fear of trying new fruits and vegetables by providing you with all the basics: tips on how to select and store each item, plus info on its nutritional benefits, when it’s in season, and how it’s grown and harvested. And of course: easy-to-prepare recipes.
Veggie Fact Sheets (English)
Veggie Fact Sheet (Spanish)