As August comes to a close, it's the perfect time to reflect on all the incredible things that happened at the Baton Roots Community Farm this summer. Even while school was out, Baton Roots continued to cultivate connection through education over the summer!
Baton Roots kicked off the summer with a number of community events including Kids Fest hosted by Scotlandville CDC. Baton Roots joined other Geaux Get Healthy partners in sharing the goodness of fresh produce with young people and families in attendance!
See related story: Teens Can Grow! Baton Roots Summer with MYWE
Baton Roots also participated in the Mayor’s Youth Workforce Experience, hosting six students for paid summer internships. MYWE interns gained fundamental skills applicable to both urban agroforestry and community-based programming.
Baton Roots hosted hundreds of students through weekly field trips from BREC summer camps where students learned about where fruits and vegetables come from, the life cycle of plants, and how to start seeds.
Baton Roots participated in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System’s back-to-school training for Agricultural Science teachers at Istrouma High School. Teachers learned to build garden beds, prepare recipes with food from the garden, and start seeds. Teachers who attended the training will receive seedlings from Baton Roots to support their school herb gardens. This type of train-the-trainer opportunity allows Baton Roots to support more local school garden programs than ever before.
As the 2023-2024 school year starts, the Baton Roots team looks forward to working with community members of all ages to grow food, share knowledge, and build a local food system that meets our community’s needs. We are thrilled to have new staff members Kiarah Craft and Jacob Jones joining us in this mission! You can find Kiarah, Jacob, and the whole team at September’s Sow Good Saturday, a free event at Baton Roots Community Farm.
The program Baton Roots is made possible through the support of: Geaux Get Healthy & Healthy BR, Humana Foundation, Capital Area United Way, Huey & Angelina Wilson Foundation, InterFaith America, UNUM, ADM, BREC, EBRPHA, Entergy, Big Green, The Rotary Club of Baton Rouge, Sprouts Neighborhood Grant, Baton Rouge Green, and LDAF.