Consolidation in Organic Agriculture - CCOF

EDUCATIONPhoto courtesy of Life Lab.By Kenny Swain, Marketing & Communications Assistant“The best and mostbeautiful things in theworld cannot be seenor even touched.They must be feltwith the heart.”~ Helen KellerPARENTS, EDUCATORS, AND SCHOOLchildren in Santa Cruz County havea new educational resource to celebrate!A collaborative effort between LifeLab Science Program, New Leaf CommunityMarkets, The Center for Agroecologyand Sustainable Food Systems(CASFS), and Community Alliance withFamily Farmers (CAFF) has develop aprogram called “Field-to-Market-to-You.”The field trip program is split into two agegroups: one for students in the fourththrough six grade; and a new program forsecond and third grade students whichmeets many state education standards forthe social sciences. Each program includesa two-hour in-class session, and a twohourgrocery store exploration at New LeafCommunity Markets. The second andthird grade courses will focus on the richagricultural history of Santa Cruz County,an overview of significant historical figures,and a scavenger hunt. The fourththrough sixth grade program explores thelife cycle of food production, benefits oflocal and non-local foods, nutrition, conservation,and consumer consciousness.The all encompassing “TV culture” andmass media marketing campaigns are poisoningour culture. The result is that consumershave become misinformed aboutand disconnected from the land and thepeople that grow their food. If we can educateour children and provide them withthe tools necessary to understand the connectionbetween the health of the soil andthe health of the people, they become thecure—informed business leaders, policymakers,and consumers of tomorrow. SteveEdwards, a teacher at The Aptos Academy,whose class will be participating in theprogram, remarked, “Young people needto learn how to make good choices aboutthe food they eat at school and at home.The “Field-to-Market-to-You” programwill make students aware of the kinds ofinformation they can look at to help themmake decisions. This is a good first step inhelping students realize they have to takeresponsibility for their health and thehealth of the planet.” Giving studentshands on experience outside the classroomis paramount to understanding the conceptstaught in theclassroom.The “Field-to-Market-to-You”program is part ofa Central Coastcommunity-basedeffort to integratenutrition and foodsystems education withschool gardens, schoolcafeterias, local farms,and communitymarkets. “Field-to-Market-to-You” is runby Katie Davis, anexperienced New LeafCommunity MarketsCommunity Educatorand former Life Labintern. Katie brings adeep concern for theenvironment and a loveof teaching children toeach session she leads.“I believe that we allhave the power to createpositive change in our community andsociety. I feel that educating children andempowering them to form opinions andmake their own decisions is the mostprofound step I can take toward positivechange,” said Davis. “Field-to-Market-to-You” is offered throughout the school year.Teachers, students and parents who wouldlike to register or would like more informationabout this and other programsoffered by the Life Lab may visitwww.lifelab.org or call 831-459-2001.Winter 2003–2004 Page 19