Urban Extension at Work Form
You can click on each of the items to add specifics to the form
Success Story Content (450-650 words)
Title: How Urban Extension Could Change Food and Farming Forever
Summary
As today’s youth and families become more disconnected with the land and where their food comes 4-H can
play an important role in educating youth about their role in the democratization of food systems. Urban and
rural youth are connecting with agriculture and food systems and becoming responsible food citizens through
a program that leads youth through a progressive program of school gardens (elementary school), rural
agriculture exchanges (middle school) and Food Systems Service Learning (high school). OSU Extension Food
systems programs are designed to help youth understand the complexity of the food system and their role in it.
Program Description
Urban Portland prides itself on its strong food culture. With its abundant community gardens, farmer markets,
natural food stores, backyard chickens and restaurants boasting that they only use fresh and local foods,
Portland has truly embraced the urban farm movement. The movement is being replicated throughout various
parts of the state. It was in this environment, that urban residents began to take notice that more youth needed
to be involved and active if this was going to grow and endure over time. Youth needed to be involved
because one day soon they will be the lawmakers, decision makers, and consumers.
The challenge is – how do we help youth understand the complexity of the food system and develop the skills
to assume rights and responsibilities to food and their community. Food citizenship, the practice of engaging in
food-related behaviors that support, rather than threaten, the development of a democratic, socially and
economically just, and environmentally sustainable food system, is not only about food tastes and preferences,
but a set of rights as well as responsibilities.
The Portland 4-H youth program in collaboration with Eastern Oregon 4-H Youth program is taking an active role
in helping create food citizens through a developmentally appropriate program that provides hands-on
experiences in food systems that moves progressively across the age span from ages 6-18.
Elementary School Gardens: 4-H Staff train and support teachers, teen and adult volunteers to create,
use, and sustain food gardens on school and community grounds for promoting healthy eating and
healthy living with approximately 2500 youth every year.
Middle School Rural Agriculture Exchange: This exchange is a program designed to help youth gain an
understanding of food systems management issues from both an urban and rural perspective. This yearlong program includes a series of 6-day exchanges, and provides youth a unique opportunity to “walk a
mile in the boots” of urban and rural ranchers and farmers.
High School Food Justice Service Learning: In this 30-hour program high school students receive high
school elective credit. The project teaches youth how access to healthy, local foods impact health
and bring communities together. Students participate in an all-day bus tour, attend seminars on food
justice, plan and implement a service project in their community around food justice, keep portfolios of
their learning, and give a final oral presentation of their project.
Research Base
Youth are the most important target for food system education and action (Bissonnette & Contento, 2001)
because adolescence is where humans begin to form their belief systems. Youth also have a "unique concern
for ecological integrity and food security, as they will inherit the systemic problems of environmental
degradation and food insecurity" (Botelha, 1999: 233). Yet still needed are efforts to help youth "develop
schemata on which to build more complex understandings required for democratic reform of the agrifood
system" (Hess & Trexler, 2011:60).
The challenge becomes how to help youth understand the complexity of the food system and develop the
skills to assume rights and responsibilities to food and their community.
Program Evaluation
Program evaluations on OSU Extension habitat school gardens revealed that the lessons learned from delivering
informal science education in a systematic way that ultimately helps young people develop and improve their
skills, and increase their knowledge and interest in science have been crucial to the incremental success of this
program and will largely affect the future success of this program. Likewise, outcome evaluations in the middle
school program revealed significant changes in attitude, knowledge and understanding of socioeconomic
and environmental issues from both urban and rural Oregon. Program evaluations on the high school program
are still in process.
Contact Information
Maureen Hosty
OSU Extension Faculty
4-H Youth Development
College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Oregon State University
Portland Metro Area Snap Ed and 4-H
5444-B SE International Way
Portland, OR 97222
PH 503-657-7385 | cell 503-360-6060 | fax 503657-7384
maureen.hosty@oregonstate.edu
www.4hwildlifestewards.org
Program Logo
Photos (5-6 photos)
Photos can be project specific or more general related to education, Extension, or Outreach