FARMS Leadership Program

Community Action Projects

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I hear, and I forget.
I see, and I remember.
I do, and I understand.
…Chinese Proverb

First, FARMS students learn. Then they apply what they've learned. Part of putting their knowledge to work includes a Community Action Project created by each participating school.

Once the FARMS program is underway for the school year, the students use their new observational skills to identify a relevant community need. With mentors and guidance, the students are responsible for planning and completing their project to meet that need.

Here are two examples of FARMS Community Action Projects in Sonoma County and Orange County:

Sonoma Community Action Project

In March 2005, both Sonoma County FARMS Leadership Programs joined efforts to deliver their community action projects at the Sonoma County Farm Bureau's annual AG Days event. Approximately 4,500 K-3rd grade students attended.

All the participating high schools created and hosted booths during the two-day event. The booths offered young audiences interactive learning experiences about vermiculture, water quality, the steelhead life cycle, watershed and storm water pollution awareness, and bird nesting materials.

The high school students used the knowledge they'd gained from the FARMS Leadership Program to develop the booth lessons and hands-on teaching elements.

The field day allowed these high school students to showcase their leadership and knowledge, both of which are central objectives of the FARMS Leadership Program.

Orange County Community Action Project

The 2004-2005 Orange County FARMS Leadership Program participants got their hands dirty and learned about their community's agrarian roots. Through the Second Harvest Food Bank and Orange County Farm Bureau, the FARMS students learned the power of community involvement at "The Field of Greens."

The Field of Greens program gave the FARMS students an unparalleled opportunity to use their yearlong learning in a "make a difference" experience. The Field of Greens was a community partnership that converted a three-acre parcel of weeds and rubble to a farm producing fruits and vegetables for people in need. The land was donated by the Orange County Register, and transformed with the hard work of local farmers and the support of the Orange County Farm Bureau. "From Seed to Plant," a Second Harvest Food Bank program, commissioned the FARMS students at La Habra and Fullerton High Schools to grow vegetable starts at their schools and then transplant them to at the Field of Greens. In addition, Second Harvest, through a grant from the Disneyland Community Outreach Program, helped secure funds for some FARMS students to continue their involvement in the Field of Greens project.

A major goal of California Secretary of Food and Agriculture A.G. Kawamura is to increase nutrition awareness and combat hunger and childhood obesity. The Field of Greens is an inspirational example of how we can work toward this goal in any town or city. On May 13, 2005, the day of planting, the Field of Greens was filled with hundreds of happy, smiling volunteers, excited about the promise of this innovative community project.