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WHO WE ARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“We live so close but our worlds are so different. We very rarely get to a city. It was good for us all to see how people live and garden in a city.” --Parent at Williamsburg School

 History of Fertile Ground

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Fertile Ground broke ground in spring of 2003 as an after-school teaching garden project of the kindergarten at the public elementary school in rural Williamsburg, MA. Right away, the garden became a focal point for parents and teachers who wanted their children to learn how to grow and delight in nutritious food. From breaking ground to the present, the teachers have been exploring ways to teach the children to think in terms of connectedness and relationships. In just five years, the garden program has become a 24 week curriculum integrated learning lab for the entire school, grades PreK-6, which supplies produce to the school cafeteria, and energizes school community with workdays, celebrations, and workshops.

A parent recently said, "in the garden the children learn about the world..." From the beginning, the project was about connecting urban and rural communities through the culture of agriculture. The raised bed garden was constructed with the help and guidance of youth gardeners at Nuestras Raíces, about 20 miles away from Williamsburg. For four years, the youth mentors have shared their Puerto Rican culture by teaching gardening, building garden infrastructure, a mural, and mentoring leadership skills. The kindergarten children study Puerto Rican culture and visit the Nuestras Raices farm and community center.

The garden serves multiple purposes:

  • a community-building tool for the Williamsburg School;
  • a source of experiential learning about food, health, land, stewardship, and cooperation;
  • a place for children, parents, teachers of diverse communities to meet;
  • a place where skilled youth of color are seen as regional leaders and teachers;
  • an inroad into addressing the nutritional value of school lunch programs.

The garden learning lab has become a regional model now fully integrated into curriculum for grades PreK-6 (see educational programs). Fertile Ground is made up of partnerships with schools, school districts, local business, community groups, youth, and farmers.

 

 

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© 2007. All Rights Reserved. Fertile Ground.

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