(Radio Iowa) – A new partnership between Iowa’s largest school district and a refugee and immigrant farming program is helping farmers and a local ag program. Land behind the Des Moines Public Schools’ Central Campus is being converted into a garden for farmers with Global Greens, where students will be exposed to farming practices and foods from around the world. Amy Joens, with Global Greens, says the garden will represent students and farmers from different cultures.
“Maybe this can sort of help catalyze different kinds of students to be involved and interested,” Joens says, “because I think it’s really important for students to be able to see themselves in what they’re going into.” Joens says the program’s farmers get to grow food from their own countries, and students will get hands-on experience learning from them. The new garden is an effort to bring back the Central Campus’ agriscience program, which shut down last year due to low enrollment.
The school district’s Tascha Brown says the partnership will allow students and local farmers to work together in a global landscape. “How do we help kids grow and learn about food,” Brown says, “and the farmers out here can help work side by side with our students, teach them.” Brown says the space will allow farmers to teach students what farming looks like in their cultures. She says the program will reopen this fall.
