Improving Health and Nutrition Through Garden-Based Programming: Three Projects in Three Regions

Abstract

University of Minnesota Extension's SNAP-Ed educators provide educational opportunities and support for community and school gardens across the state. These three case studies highlight the breadth of support that they provide as they share knowledge about gardening and cooking for improved community health and nutrition. The Pillsbury United Communities Community Garden Project (Minneapolis) is enacting system change by developing an access pathway for the use of public land by community members to grow food in two Minneapolis neighborhoods. Through this project, SNAP-Ed has helped increase access to garden space, produced food for the community, promoted gardening, and hosted cooking and nutrition classes. The Hawthorne Learning Center (Rochester) garden crew learns English by way of an evidence-based ELL gardening curriculum. Utilizing adult learning principles centered around the on-site raised bed gardens, the teachings are relevant to the learners. Participants share their own home country gardening techniques and vegetable use recommendations. Vandyke Elementary School (Coleraine) has implemented a garden program to help contribute to the reduction of childhood chronic illness by increasing knowledge of the health and nutrition benefits associated with healthy eating, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption by making produce easily accessible, and increasing the amount of time children spend outside being physically active.