Fayetteville Public Schools

 Fayetteville Public Schools has 9 existing schoolyard gardens throughout the district. We have been working on garden programming and education for several years, but have taken a more direct approach over the past three years. In 2011 the district also created a sustainability coordinator position to assist schools with a variety of environmental initiatives including schoolyard gardens. Over the past year the district has partnered with local nonprofits to offer Farm to School lunch programming at all 9 elementary schools, procure more food from local farmers, and engage students through our summer lunch program.

Located in the Ozark Mountains in the Northwest corner of the state, Fayetteville is Arkansas' third largest city and home to the University of Arkansas. The city has a thriving historic downtown area, 70 city parks, over 30 miles of designated trail ways, and is a short drive to two national forests, multiple state parks, and
the Buffalo National River.

One FoodCorps member collaborates with cafeteria staff, food services, and local farmers to integrate locally grown produce into the lunch program where possible. This service member also works with schools and community members to offer educational programming for students about Farm to School and local agriculture.

A second FoodCorps member works closely with existing school gardens to employ garden spaces as teaching tools, reinforcing curriculum and providing relevant, hands-on experiences. The FoodCorps member utilizes some previously developed curriculum as well as work to develop new curriculum focusing on the middle school grade levels.