Montclair Community Farm is a place for scholarship in partnership with faculty and students of Montclair State University.

US Department of Agriculture Project: Low-cost Adsorbent Coated (LAC) Wood Mulches for Mitigation of New Jersey Agricultural Storm water Pollution

In partnership with Professor Yang Deng at Montclair State University. Low-cost adsorbents are being tested to capture various runoff pollutants at the Montclair Community Farms. The target pollutants include nutrients (e.g. nitrogen and phosphorus) and pathogens. The adsorbents are biochars synthesized from municipal sewage sludge and on-site produced agriculture wastes. Results will be analyzed in 2019.

A PILOT STUDY FOR PLANT THE SEED: A NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAM USING LOCAL FOOD ENVIRONMENT TO PUT THEORY INTO ACTION

KAREN A. LEE, YEON BAI, SHAHLA M. WUNDERLICH, Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences atMontclair State University. The purpose of this study is to implement Plant the Seed, a garden-based nutrition education program designed to reconnect children with locally grown food, food environments of the past and present, and the benefits of eating seasonal foods. The pilot study investigates environmental context and theory variables known to influence healthy food choice behavior. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) provided a framework for the program’s curriculum and evaluation. The target audience is middle school students. Plant the Seed is a two-part program. In Part 1 (classroom), students participate in practical, interactive activities based on specific educational objectives that target theory mediators. In Part 2 (field trip), students rotate through the community farm, kitchen herb garden and historic kitchen to engage in hands-on program activities. Pretest/posttest evaluation compared control and intervention students from two schools measured program effectiveness. Intervention school students (n = 16) improved behavioral intention (3.40–3.53, P = 0.34), historical, social norm (3.40–3.79, P = 0.03), and outcome expectation (3.91–4.19, P = 0.03). No change in variables among control students (n = 10). Plant the Seed had a positive impact on factors associated with healthy eating behavior. This program demonstrates how to effectively engage community resources, to promote the development and implementation of gardening environments that create hands-on opportunities for children to become directly connected to local food production, to learn about the environmental benefits of eating locally grown foods and to allow children to have access to a positive, sustainable food environment. Plant the Seed can serve as a model for future theory and garden-based nutrition intervention programs. Keywords: environmental impact, food choice behaviour, garden-based nutrition education, locally grown food, middle school students, plant the seed. Read the full publication.