The fall 2010 issue of Edible Finger Lakes highlights Bob King's (Agriculture and Life Sciences Institute) efforts to introduce young children to local agriculture and promote Grow Monroe. The article below was written by Lisa Barker.
“Do you ever buy local? Right from the farmer?” Robert King asks a group of fourth and fifth graders as they plant zucchini seeds. King is the director of Grow Monroe, a program of the Agriculture and Life Sciences Institute at Monroe Community College. This summer, Grow Monroe coordinated weeklong youth summer camps using ten different curricula to introduce kids to the concepts of local food and sustainability. Throughout the year, the program raises awareness of the availability of locally produced food through marketing support for farmers and consumer education. The online Grow Monroe Farm Market Network maps the locations of more than 400 farms and other local food sellers in neighborhoods throughout the county. Users can browse by category, such as farm market stand, vineyard or Christmas tree farm. There’s even a section for special events, including hayrides and scarecrow festivals. Participating farms receive signs with the iconic Grow Monroe logo — a sprout emerging from a lower-case g — to alert customers to their fresh seasonal bounty. The scheme sounds simple, yet participating farms report an increase in sales of 2 to 50 percent since implementation. For farmers with limited advertising dollars, it seems like a tough deal to beat: Annual membership costs just $35, with fees waived in the first year. “We’re more than just a college,” says King, a PhD in agricultural education whose grandparents were farmers. “We’re really trying to get the community interested in agriculture.” This winter, he will run a two-week intensive class on greenhouse building, as well as a new one-credit class exploring careers in agriculture.
https://www.monroecc.edu/depts/Agriculture/GROWMonroeMarkets.htm
Rosanna Condello
College and Community Relations
10/18/2010 |