Middle and high school youths learn about gardening, nutrition, giving back by working on a 5-acre urban plot

Urban youths learn about gardening, nutrition and giving back at Devington Green Acres Farm

By Barb Berggoetz
The Indy Star
Oct. 2, 2010

Excerpt:

Denise Smith thrust the shovel into the dry, hardened earth, over and over again.

She gingerly chopped away the dirt from around the buried sweet potatoes.

Like many inner-city youth, the 19-year-old Arlington High School senior hasn’t had much chance to experience first-hand the wonders of growing a garden and seeing hard work produce wholesome, fresh vegetables from seeds.

“I didn’t even know sweet potatoes grew underground,” she said, smiling, after helping classmates to fill a small basket with them. “I thought they grew above ground.”

That’s just one kernel of knowledge that Denise and more than 100 other youths are gaining from their time toiling at Devington Green Acres Farm.

The Devington urban garden — the brainchild of organizer Naeemah Jackson — is a 5-acre plot on the Far-Eastside where middle school and high school students come together. Here, they not only learn about gardening, sustainability and nutrition but also make connections to their community and sharpen their life skills — knowledge and experience that experts say is also important in succeeding in the classroom.

“The link in studies between good diet and performance in the classroom is extremely strong,” said Christina Ferroli, registered dietitian with the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.

Read the complete article here.