Texas Youth Gardening Program Receives Diversity Award & Recognition

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Texas Grow! Eat! Go! program received the National Extension Diversity Award at the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in November 2015.

The award honors an extension program that contributes to achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism. The national Cooperative Extension association and the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the five-year program. Collaboration from AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas School of Public Health, and the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health created the program to improve physical activity and eating behaviors of families and children living in low-income and underserved areas of Texas.

Collaboration from AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas School of Public Health, and the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health created the program to improve physical activity and eating behaviors of families and children living in low-income and underserved areas of Texas. The Texas Grow! Eat! Go! looked at the efficacy of two programs, Walk Across Texas, and the Junior Master Gardener program, to determine the efficacy of the two programs in conjunction with the Coordinated Approach to Child health (CATCH) program.

The evaluations showed positive outcomes for students health and knowledge on physical activity and gardening.

A new research-based curriculum spin-off project is also being conducted. According to Susan Ballabina, the AgriLIfe Extension associate director for the program, effects of the new program show obesity rates fell from 57 percent before intervention to 39 percent post-intervention in the pilot study.

Ballabina was also quoted in the recent article stating that the programs have produced noticeable changes of children trying new vegetables and increasing physical activity.

Studies show low-income Latino families are more likely to buy more fruits and vegetables when there is more access to local Farmer’s Markets and access to WIC or EBT purchasing power.

Having school gardens, or programs that give Latino students access and education opportunities to healthier options may help increase Latino’s consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

To learn more about the program and research conducted, click here.