Students shop local at Youth Farmers Market
By Annie Salafsky and Amanda Musser, Thurston County Extension Office
This post highlights the work of researchers funded through the BIOAg Program, a competitive grants program administered by CSANR, created to stimulate research, extension and education investments by WSU scientists and to advance the development, understanding, and use of biologically intensive, organic and sustainable agriculture in Washington State.
The Youth Farmers Market project involved 154 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students at an elementary school that serves a high percentage of students from low-income families. The goal of the project was to measure changes in students’ feelings about eating local fruits and vegetables. It allowed students to shop independently, using market tokens to choose from a variety of fresh, local, and in-season produce.
We transformed the elementary school gym into a bustling indoor farmers market. All fruits and vegetables were sourced locally through the Southwest Washington Food Hub. There was a variety of produce for the children to choose from, including sweet corn, colorful peppers, purple broccoli, four kinds of apples, grapes, red and green pears, and pie pumpkins. Agriculture students from The Evergreen State College volunteered to help run the market and engaged the elementary school students in a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere.
Each of the three grades was scheduled for a 30-minute shopping window. All participating students received a Youth Farmers Market tote bag containing a mini honey-bear bottle of local honey and $14 in tokens to spend at the market.
In addition, the Evergreen students hosted two live cooking demos, which offered samples of sautéed delicata squash and a kale Caesar salad, both featuring ingredients available at the market. Forty-seven percent of participants tried new food during the event, and many took a recipe home along with all the ingredients.
Students beamed with joy as they carefully selected their fruit and vegetables for reasons such as “we’re out of vegetables for my lunch” and “my mom really likes potatoes.” After shopping they proudly shared their finds with each other while munching raw carrots, bell peppers, apples, and grapes. Many students were amazed to learn that grapes grow right here in Olympia.
One month later we hosted a booth at the Olympia Farmers Market. Forty-five Garfield Elementary students attended, each receiving $15 in market tokens. Despite the availability of sweets at the market, students chose to buy fall produce such as carrots, winter squash, onions, cabbages, peppers, apples, and Asian pears. After finishing their shopping, students returned to our booth to show off their purchases, displaying a sense of pride and ownership in their food choices. In many cases, students chose the exact items they had purchased a few weeks prior at their school gym.
The Youth Farmers Market project has shown that when given the opportunity, children are eager to engage with local, fresh produce and make healthy choices. By allowing them to shop independently, try new foods, and participate in a real market environment, this program gave students a fun, hands-on introduction to local food systems, empowering them to explore, taste, and choose healthy foods on their own terms.
As we finish compiling data from the project, we are finding that many children involved in the project enjoyed participating and showed new interest in eating more fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. We hope to use our data and findings to create Youth Farmers Markets in other Title I schools in Washington state.
Comments