Commentary: Agricultural and nutritional education is a seed worth planting

Issue Date: March 21, 2007

 

By Fabian Nuñez

Whether you are looking out the window of my office at Capitol Park or you are looking out the window of a truck while surveying the fields, it's clear we are in that time of year when things start coming back to life.

This year, one of the best things that is coming back to life is an innovative state program that helps teach kids about the science and value of agriculture, as well as the importance of good nutrition and environmental stewardship.

Back in the 1990s, the state had launched an initiative to promote school garden and nutrition education programs, with small start-up grants, to individual schools. Unfortunately, the state participation in that program ended in 2002.

I am a big fan of school gardens, so last year I authored Assembly Bill 1535 to revitalize the state's dormant program.

My bill provided $15 million in grant funding for equipment, supplies and teacher training to schools that are interested in having their students develop and maintain a garden.

I know I'm not the only advocate of school gardens, so I specifically designed my legislation to include interested stakeholders and agencies, especially those with agricultural portfolios, to create a public-private partnership to effectively promote the concept of school gardens and also provide accountability for the expenditure of public funds.

The unique multi-agency advisory group called for in my legislation, including some people already involved with their own school garden-related activities, will help leverage some of the outstanding expertise we have in this state in areas such as food production, nutrition, obesity prevention and recycling.

Including the diverse knowledge and skills of the Department of Food and Agriculture, the Department of Health Services and the Integrated Waste Management Board will give tremendous support to the Department of Education and the state's school superintendents and schools--which traditionally don't operate agricultural programs.

I'm excited about the lifelong lessons that California schoolchildren will be able to take with them as they participate in the reborn school gardens program.

I grew up in an inner-city neighborhood and I represent inner-city neighborhoods. Farms and gardens and fresh vegetables and the nutrition they provide can often be foreign things to a lot of kids. I believe school gardens will be invaluable tools in helping young people understand the importance of nutrition and agriculture.

Unfortunately, fewer than one-third of California's public schools have gardens. I applaud the efforts of the California Farm Bureau's Agriculture in the Classroom program and the School Garden Network for the work they have done to promote and develop school gardens throughout California. Even with their successes, though, there are still many opportunities that exist for schools to develop and expand their gardens.

I encourage Farm Bureau members to contact your own local schools about establishing or maintaining a school garden and about applying for the grant funding provided by AB 1535. Public schools with fewer than 1,000 students may apply for a grant of up to $2,500. Schools with 1,000 or more students can apply for a grant of up to $5,000.

The deadline for the first round of grant funding is April 20. More information and the grant application are available online at the California Department of Education homepage at www.cde.ca.gov.

I hope every California school applies for the grant funding provided by my legislation. Agricultural and nutritional education is a seed worth planting. And I hope by this time next year, we can look to a host of awakening school gardens across the state and see additional signs of the coming of spring.

(Fabian Nuñez, D-Los Angeles, is the Speaker of the State Assembly and represents the 46th Assembly District. He may be contacted at Assemblymember.Nunez@assembly.ca.gov.)

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item. Top