Ourspace World, Inc.

This Project Seeks to Address Several Intersecting Short- and Long-term Community-identified Needs, Including:limited Opportunities for Socially Disadvantaged African-american Youth to Participate in On-farm Experiential Learning and Related Off-farm Activities Related to Agriculture, Gardening, Nutrition, and Where Food Comes From;limited Capacity of Small-scale Socially Disadvantaged African-american Farmers to Host and Provide On-farm Educational Experiences for Youth;lack of Culturally-centered Agricultural Educational Materials That Affirm the Historical Contributions of Africans and African-americans to Agriculture;limited Access to Fresh Produce for Youth and Families in Socially Disadvantaged Communities in Both Urban and Rural Settings, Especially Those Grown by Socially Disadvantaged Farmers;andchallenges in the Pipeline of the Farming Workforce, Particularly Those From Socially Disadvantaged Backgrounds.this Project Will Establish a Mid-atlantic Regional Partnership Infrastructure to Link Small-scale Socially Disadvantaged Farmers With Socially Disadvantaged Youth and Their Families Through On-farm Education Related to Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition. a Secondary Goal Is to Develop, Pilot, and Disseminate the Africulture Curriculum, a Culturally Centered Stand-alone K-12 Agricultural Education Curriculumthat Will Be Made Available for Use by Farmers, Parents, and Educators Seeking to Provide Culturally Centered Agricultural Education to Supplement and Enrich In-class, Home-school, or Farm-based Instructional Opportunities.the Goals of the Project Are: 1) to Enhanceawareness, Knowledge, and Skills in K-12 Black Youth Around Culturally-centered Agricultural Practices, Food Systems, and Nutrition; and 2) to Enhancecapacity for Socially Disadvantaged Small-scale Black Farmers to Host Groups of Black Youth for On-farm Experiential Educational Experiences. Ultimately, the Project Seeks to Expand the Benefits of Farm-to-school Programs to Meet the Needs of Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Youth, Thus Beginning to Address Historical Challenges Related to Health Disparities, Food Apartheid, and Disconnection From Food and Land.