Durham, N.C., Teens' Inner-City Organic Garden Feeds Their New Demand for Vegetables
A teen-led inner-city gardening program to increase access to and demand for affordable fresh produce in an African-American and Latino community
In 2005–06, South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces (SEEDS) in Durham, N.C., expanded Durham Inner-City Gardeners (DIG)-a program that teaches teenagers about organic farming and healthy eating habits.
The organization also launched a companion project — Youth Are What Youth Eat — in which members of DIG performed skits about proper nutrition for other youth and children.
Key Results
- The number of teenagers involved in DIG doubled to 20 in summer 2006 from 10 in summer 2005.
- The teenagers tried planting nine vegetables and many herbs for the first time, including squash, kale, chard, leeks, golden cherry tomatoes, hot peppers, eggplant, spinach and leaf lettuce.
- Ten of the teenagers altered their eating habits, and 19 changed their attitudes toward eating vegetables.
Funding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) supported this project with a $57,000 grant from August 2005 to August 2006.