SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL E. F. Schumacher, economist 1911-1977
Nutrition Education For Wellness NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR WELLNESS (NEW) is a statewide "umbrella concept" program that facilitates consumer foods and nutrition education. Within this program is LIFESKILLS in FOOD EDUCATION INTEGRATED AND INTERGENERATIONAL, or LIFE-II. An integrated and intergenerational project consisting of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and UH-CES Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education (SNAP-Ed). Providing practical life skills in food and nutrition for Hawaii's limited income population. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/new/index.html
Some background: EFNEP Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) funded by USDA Assists limited resource families with children Teaches foodskills : basic nutrition, food safety and food budgeting in a series of 4-64 6 lessons Our goal is the improvement of the total family diet and nutritional well-being Works throughout the state of Hawaii (O ahu( ahu, Hawai i, i, Maui and Kaua i) http://www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/food/efnep/efnep.html http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/new/efnep/
Grow Your Own Pilot program to take the nutrition message one step further to home food production Gardening and food production techniques Our goal is to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables our clients eat Our version of small is beautiful
What we ve done so far Partnership with Pearl City Urban Garden Center Demonstration garden at PCUGC Assistance from the Oahu Master Gardener Program Collecting data for cost effectiveness Designing and piloting a new curriculum
Cost effectiveness It needs to be worthwhile for limited income clients Data collection to track cost of basic inputs (seeds, seedlings, soil conditioner, compost, manure, fertilizer) Data collection to track output per container or garden
Square foot gardening Our version of a square foot garden (3 ft sq.) Kale, green onions, basil, tomato, beans, lettuce
Costs (Nov 2009 Sept 2010) Inputs: Soil conditioning compost $13.44 Chicken manure $ 2.35 Seeds and transplants $12.16 $27.95 Outputs: 46.6 lbs of fresh produce value based on current local supermarket prices $250.45 Does not include labor or cost of irrigation
Square foot gardening Our 4 ft square garden Eggplant, kale, green onions, corn, beans, tatsoi
Coolers and bags Tomato in a bag and pineapple in a fish cooler Cost: $4.24 bag, $0.86 seedling Yield: approx 5lb. @ $4.99/lb = $24.50 Cost: $0 cooler bag, $0 slips/suckers Yield: approx 9.7lb @ $1.19/lb = $11.54
Buckets and barrels Sweet potato too big for its bucket Barrels, cut them either way
More buckets and coolers GREEN BUSH BEANS GREEN ONIONS Cost: $0 styrofoam, $0.86 starts Yield: approx 2lb. @ $7.00/lb = $14.00 Cost: $0 for 5 gall bucket, $1 seeds Yield: approx 1.7lb. @ $3.99/lb = $6.78
Didn t t work out Pigeon peas, kabocha,, corn, green peppers, wing beans, papaya, cucumber, soy bean - all in buckets ( (poor yield, plants died) Minimal success: mixed containers in soil (Asian greens/green onion/beans/kale) and eggplant in bucket ( (short growing period) Economically marginal: greens (bok( choy, lettuce, tatsoi, kai choy) ) low $$ yield compared to store cost
Inputs $$ Cost of inputs per bucket: 1 bucket soil conditioning compost $ 4.24 Nutricote (1 tablespoon) $ 0.09 Seeds and transplants $ 0.86 $ 5.19 Does not include labor or cost of bucket or irrigation
Outputs $$ per bucket Crop Yield lbs. Price/lb Yield $ Profit Green beans Tomato beans (pole) (over 6 months) Chard (over 1 year) Tatsoi 2.5 lbs (2-4 4 plants) $4.99 $12.48 $7.29 6.5 lbs $4.99 $ 32.20 $27.01 4.8 lbs $11.18 $ 54.35 $49.16 1.1lb $1.70 $1.87 -$3.32
KISS: Keep It Small and Simple
Lessons Getting Started (materials, design, containers, Plants and Planting Compost Feeding and Watering Just Eat It (harvesting and food safety) Pests, Diseases and Problems potting mixes)
Future Economically viable Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables our clients eat a little at a time (small IS beautiful) Pilot with clients starting early 2011
GROW YOUR OWN IN ACTION