Our GREENandSAVE Staff is pleased to inform our members and readers about organizations that are helping to promote sustainability. If you would like us to profile your organization please Contact Us.
Student Farmers is actively looking to recruit a student ambassador in Mississippi, as well as farm mentors in Mississippi that can help guide students. Overall, student farming is a great way to reduce the distance from farm to table and increase health for students as well as their parents.
Here is an overview on Student Farmers
Student Farmers is a growing group of students who are committed to in-home and in-school sustainable farming as a means to promote physical fitness and environmental stewardship.
Our Mission: To improve health and nutrition education, combat the challenges of climate change, and support each other in generating some revenue to help pay for college.
Our Vision: To increase knowledge about the advantages of eating more heathy and locally grown vegetables across the range of high school and college age students. We also hope that many of the parents of the students will learn from their children’s engagement in our organization and adopt a diet with less processed foods to reduce the growing cost of healthcare.
Here is an example of an agriculture education program in Mississippi:
Students learn importance of farming at Mississippi State exhibit
It was an unusual day of learning for students at North Bay Elementary School in Biloxi Wednesday. Instead of a classroom, the students spent a day on the farm. An exhibit by Mississippi State brought the farm to the kids for an exciting field trip.
It was the definition of hands-on. Students got to explore the ins and outs of farm life, from milking a cow, to feeding livestock.
Although it was a fun day away from class, Mississippi State staffers hoped this Farmtastic exhibit taught the students a thing or two about the products they consume in everyday life.
"They come from a farm somewhere. So, today has been great for young people to see from the farm to the table," said Sheran Watkins with the Mississippi State Extension Service.
This included everything from wood products to seafood and even the clothes we wear. The students had a pretty good time in the process.
Julie White takes this traveling exhibit all over the state hoping to shed some light on what happens before we grab products off the shelf at our local stores.
"So many kids are three to four generations removed from the farm. So, they don't understand. They think it magically appears at Walmart or the grocery store," said White.
According to White, a byproduct of this tour could be that some of the students get inspired to follow in the footsteps of Mississippi farmers before them.
"We also look to the next generation to see what we have, but we want to ensure that there are farmers always there to provide the things that we need," she said.
Because without farmers, White said life as we know it could change drastically. This was the first time for the Farmtastic exhibit to visit Biloxi. Next year, it will be open to all schools in Harrison County.
