Sprouting Agricultural Literacy: The Creation, Implementation, and Evaluation of the Cloverbud Farm-to-Table Program

Abstract

Agricultural literacy in early elementary age students is essential for fostering the next generation of society with an understanding of how agriculture impacts the economy, environment, and food accessibility. However, agriculture education for youth ages 5-8 is often done by non-formal organizations such as 4-H and Agriculture in the Classroom. This project works to equip 4-H educators and volunteers with an example of a program that is easily replicated to teach youth ages 5-8 about agriculture through a short term, day camp structure. The study preformed in this project includes the creation, implementation, and evaluation of the Cloverbud Farm-To-Table (FTT) day camp facilitation guide. The objectives of this study included identifying the key factors that make a facilitation guide a valuable resource for 4-H educators, as well as the overall value of the pilot facilitation guide regarding teaching agricultural literacy to the sample group. Evaluations were performed by five extension faculties to answer these questions. Results indicated the impactful concepts of the guide were intentional introduction questions that sparked youth interest, experiential learning activities, clear instructions, and adaptability of materials. However, revisions are needed to have the facilitation guide suitable for publication including evaluating activities for age suitability, increasing camper engagement, the and lesson refinement.