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Addressing Food Insecurity in Rural NL

Vision

For our action project, the students have decided to construct a vegetable garden. This idea was first thought of when we covered the topic of global issues in our social studies curriculum. As our school is located in a remote community that is only accessible by ferry, the issue of food insecurity is something the students and their families are very much impacted by. Exploring the issue the students (differing grades) collaboratively came to the solution of starting a community garden with both indoor/outdoor crops to harvest, eventually supplying the community with fresh produce. This action project has crossed over under the umbrella of how the students are combating climate change by growing fresh local produce and adding to cleaner air quality in our community.

Action

After receiving our initial grant as well as including our money collected from recycling drives, we immediately began the necessary purchases required to get our garden started. First, we researched different vendors to maximize the amount we would need to spend. After strategic research, we made the bulk of purchases from Amazon, Gaze Seed Company, and Home Hardware. We began planting our crops in mid-march once all supplies were received, and placed them in an indoor greenhouse to get them started before transmitting outside after the “first frost.” At the present time, our plants are continuing to grow in the garden, and we are set to transplant many of our root vegetables outside at the end of the month (May).

Reflection & Celebration

This project has shown many positives for the students involved, including overall engagement and self-efficacy. As this project is not yet complete, the students continue to monitor the plants and their scheduled harvest. We have already harvested our fast-growing microgreens for distribution around the community. We look forward to the coming months and the success of our project. We hope to expand the number of crops we grow in the coming school year by building a outdoor garden that is accessible to our entire, remote community.

Links

Check out our ongoing action by following Ms. Fowler’s Twitter!

2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-Being
4. Quality Education
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
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