Truck Farm Omaha Gardening Program: Education and Good Eats on Wheels
There are all sorts of gardening programs throughout the nation that teach kids about growing. Truck Farm Omaha might be one of the more interesting and unique programs though.
Truck Farm Omaha, a mobile gardening program, roves around Nebraska in a 1975 Chevy pickup. The Truck Farm resides in the Chevy’s truck bed.
The concept of the truck was hatched when the organization’s founders, Dan Susman and Andrew Monbouquette, were traveling across the country filming “Growing Cities,” a documentary about urban agriculture. During their travels they saw a similar concept, Truck Farms from Portland, Oregon. The duo knew that a truck farm would go over well in their hometown of Omaha. The farming duo hired Chelsea Taxman in March 2012 to help with the Farm Truck’s day-to-day operations. The gardening program was officially founded on April 1, 2012.
Truck Farm Omaha’s main goal is to educate area youth about environmental sustainability, healthy eating and about the benefits of growing your own food. The Farm has toured through the Omaha Metro Area and western Iowa.
The pickup is filled with all sorts of greens, herbs and plants. The truck even contains weeds. The weeds’ presence allows the Truck Farm volunteers to teach kids about how seeds grow and how they end up in gardens: Some seeds arrive via gardener, others via the wind and some arrive via birds. While teaching the kids about farming and sustainability, the Farm group also lets the kids taste some of the green goods and shows them how to make healthy snacks.
While many of the garden program’s stops are one time, the organization also has year-round stops, and also works with area after school programs. The micro-farm also visits local YMCAS, and even birthday parties.
The trio hopes that the Farm will inspire kids and communities to want to be part of the sustainable agriculture movement.
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Resources:
“Introducing Truck Farm Omaha: An Edible Education Project,” National Young Farmers Coalition
“In this Truck Farm the Truck is the Farm,” Omaha.com
Image: Truck Farm Omaha Facebook
