1. Gardening For Community and Youth Development
Kathryn M. Hopkins1, Debra J. Kantor2
1University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Extension Professor, Somerset County, 7 County Drive, Skowhegan, ME 04976-4209
2University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Associate Extension Professor, Somerset County, 7 County Drive, Skowhegan, ME 04976-4209
Abstract
There is an increasing interest in local foods and agriculture and with the average age of farmers trending to an older population there is an increasing need to interest younger people thinking about choosing
farming or food production as a potential career. Somerset County is the second poorest county in Maine and residents need increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables. These gardening activities were
designed to inform youth about the science of gardening and to teach them life skills about gardening, raising food and being contributing members of their community. Skills they gained included: intensive
gardening techniques, getting and keeping organized, recordkeeping, recycling, understanding community needs and donating to their community. They also learned that they are capable, competent
individuals who can make a difference in their communities even though they are youth. As a result, youth learned life skills and leadership development as they made a measurable difference for seniors in
their communities.
Designing “Hutopolis” and planting the gardens - June
PROBLEM and 2009 Program Results
OBJECTIVES The Hutopolis program, a community-supported project,
incorporated experiential life skills science education: constructing
a shelter, growing food, re-using materials. Hutopolis was
Somerset County is the second poorest conducted for two summers with 18 children and five volunteers.
county in Maine with 18.6% of the
population living below the poverty line. The Havin’ Fun 4-H Club gardened in four 4x4 foot raised beds
harvesting and weighing the produce weekly. They replicated
Children in the upper Kennebec River valley
their raised bed projects individually at their homes for family use.
of Somerset County have few opportunities The total amount raised and donated in the office raised beds was
for low cost, supervised summer activities or 278 pounds of food from 64 square feet. At $2.50 per pound, the
camp experiences. food was value of this food was $695 and was distributed to low-
income seniors. The program continues in 2012.
The goals of this project were:
• Use Extension research based
information and garden curricula to
educate youth about gardening
• Increase access to fresh fruits and
Comments from participants:
vegetables for low-income residents
• Develop youth’s personal and “To summarize, the two weeks of gardening efforts to
community leadership skills. create a vegetable garden for the benefit of education were
successful. Though kids will be kids, with all the running,
laughing, distractions, they were truly learning life skills.
They learned not only how to build and plant but to work
Hutopolis – July 2010 with one another, brainstorm, communicate, listen, and
develop teamwork. It was awesome to watch the kids take
ownership of their community. They had something
significant to do, something to care about and
opportunities to learn as a team about self-sustaining life
skills. These children will be our future leaders. I am
happy to have shared in a piece of learning with them.” J.
S. Master Gardener Volunteer
Activities “Those vegetables would have been very expensive! I
wouldn't have bought them. I received potatoes, beets,
1. A Master Gardener Volunteer and onions, zucchini, tomatoes and pumpkins. I cooked and
local volunteers set up a gardening, froze some of the vegetables in plastic bags so I could
recycling, leadership development have meals in the winter. I also made pumpkin bread and
program called “Hutopolis”. Youth pies. The small zucchini added to beaten eggs, flour and
engaged in container and square foot butter and then fried make like an omelet and are very
gardening, recycling, composting and good. I also shared some of the vegetables with other
building with free, recycled seniors too.” M. P., Senior Companion client
materials. Children designed and
built their own "huts”; planted and “I hope to do more canning next year if I can get more
cared for gardens; donated vegetables “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go vegetables! Please tell the 4-H thank you for the fresh
to the Bingham Food Cupboard. together ” African proverb# produce.” M. T. Senior Companion Volunteer
2. The Havin’ Fun 4-H Club and Families and community members helped with Hutopolis.
Somerset County Master Gardener
Volunteers started a square foot
gardening project at the Somerset
County Extension Office in the
summer of 2011 to benefit the
Somerset County Senior Companion
Program.
Summary
Havin’ Fun 4-H Club - Square Foot Gardening 2011 Youth in these programs learned the basic science of
References: gardening skills by learning weed identification,
May 2011
season extension and vegetable harvesting skills.
Poverty in Maine. Margaret Chase Smith
Policy Center, University of Maine. They learned about farming and food production as a
July 2011
http://mcspolicycenter.umaine.edu/?
q=poverty_in_Maine accessed February 13,
potential career, about the value of food and about the
2012. needs of the food insecure in their midst.
Children receiving Food Supplement Benefits
2011. Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Youth and adults in these programs learned and
Casey Foundation.
http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/bystate/ demonstrated that they could take responsibility in
Rankings.aspx?state=ME&ind=1565 their communities, could communicate, listen and
accessed March 13, 2012. August 2011
2007 Census of Agriculture County Level Data. develop teamwork.
USDA Census of Agriculture.
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/ Youth learned that they could be valuable and
2007/Full_Report/
Volume_1,_Chapter_2_County_Level/ contributing members of their community by meeting
Maine/index.asp. Accessed March 13, 2012. with the Senior Companions and other elderly in their
*Children. – WikiQuote.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Children . communities and hearing about the difference that
Accessed June 26, 2012.
#GMF Quotes,
they made in the senior’s lives.
http://personal.lse.ac.uk/fischerg/Quotes.htm.
accessed June 26, 2012. If you want your children to turn out well, spend
twice as much time with them, and half as much
money.* Abigail Van Buren
August 2011 – Harvesting vegetables for hungry seniors
Total harvest – 278 pounds from 64 square feet.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance provided by Hammond Lumber and the
towns of Bingham and Skowhegan.