Educating Latino residents on safe practices for urban gardening. The document discusses a program to educate Latino residents in New Brunswick, New Jersey on the risks of lead in urban soil and safe gardening practices. Soil tests found 33% of sampled lots had significant lead contamination. The program developed bilingual educational materials and workshops to increase knowledge of soil testing, lead risks, and mitigation strategies. Evaluations found workshop participants significantly increased their knowledge and planned to adopt safe practices and share the information.

1. EDUCATING LATINO RESIDENTS ON SAFE PRACTICES FOR URBAN GARDENING
MICHELE BAKACS1, WILLIAM T. HLUBIK2, RICHARD WEIDMAN3, TERESA VIVAR4
Environmental and Resource Management Agent, Middlesex and Union Counties, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, North Brunswick, NJ, 08902
1
2Professor 1, County Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Middlesex County, North Brunswick, NJ, 08902
3Program Associate, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Middlesex County, North Brunswick, NJ, 08902
4Executive Director, Lazos America Unida, Inc.
Abstract
New Jersey’s industrial legacy has contributed a substantial amount of lead to the environment, subjecting its residents to the dangers of lead poisoning. Testing of urban soil is an important first step when
developing a community or backyard garden. In New Brunswick, New Jersey, many residents, Latino immigrants in particular, are growing vegetables directly in the soil of their yards and have little knowledge
of the health risks of gardening in lead contaminated soil. Soil tests on backyard gardens completed in 2011 and 2012 showed 33% of lots tested (n=36) to have significant lead contamination, and 94% of lots
to be above background levels. Potentially high lead levels require testing and adoption of risk management strategies to ensure that lead is not transmitted to edible plants and to adults and children in the
home. Through a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County (RCE) and community partners have been working to educate the Latino
community about lead-safe gardening practices. Culturally appropriate educational materials have been developed that demonstrate how to take a soil test, interpret results, and important practices to help
limit lead exposure while gardening. Bilingual workshops and backyard demonstrations conducted with Latino gardeners showed significant change in knowledge in areas concerning soil testing, sources of
lead in soil, and safe gardening practices. Program evaluations indicate that gardeners would adopt practices they learned and share the information with friends and family.
Program Goals Educational Methods Outcomes
• Increase access to safe gardening information for the New • Door to door canvassing offering soil lead testing and instructions on • Soil test results sent to 26 homes in Spanish and English with
Brunswick Latino community. best practices for reducing lead exposure while gardening. information on best practices for avoiding lead exposure while
• Increase in knowledge by Latino residents of safe practices for • Development of bilingual “Safe Soil” manual written at an vegetable gardening.
avoiding lead exposure while gardening. appropriate reading level for low literacy audiences. • A New Brunswick 4-H club called the Eco-Team was started. 17
• Provide assistance to backyard gardeners to remediate their • Backyard demonstrations and community workshops with Latino teens assisted in soil sampling throughout the summer of 2011 and
gardens when soil test results show significant lead residents. grew ethnic vegetables and herbs at two local community gardens.
contamination. • 40 Latino residents in attendance at community workshops and
backyard demonstrations.
Pre- Post-
1000 • Pre/post evaluative surveys showed a significant change in
Question Mean† Mean† p-value
knowledge by workshop participants (Table 1). 93% of participants
800 1. I know how to take a soil sample so indicated they planned to use what they learned and 83% indicated
it can be tested for lead. 2.94 4.94 *** they would share the information with friends and family.
600 2. I know how lead gets into the soil. 2.70 4.80 **** • 3 backyard gardens remediated and plans underway to make
ppm
3. I know the levels of lead in the soil additional residential yards safe for vegetable gardening.
400 that are safe to garden in. 1.21 4.89 ****
4. I understand the actions me and my
200
family should take so we are protected
from lead exposure while gardening or
0
Residential yards playing in the soil. 2.26 5.00 ****
Figure 1. Backyard soil lead levels in New Brunswick. EPA 5. I know how to get a child’s blood
considers 300 parts per million (ppm) to be significantly tested for lead. 3.35 4.85 ***
contaminated. Above 400 ppm is considered unsafe for Table 1. Results of pre/post workshop surveys (n= 20). †Responses were
growing edible plants. Results are based on the Mehlich-3 based on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly
soil extraction test and field use of a handheld XRF analyzer. agree). ***p<0.001 ****p<0.0001. Data evaluated using paired t-test.
"In the way of responsibility, this program has
showed me a lot. This program has also
helped me in my biology class freshman year.”
"I learned that many people who own
gardens have lead…Most of my family
members grow tomatoes, etc. and I'll inform
them that their garden might have lead."
-New Brunswick 4H club members