Syngenta Announces 2015 National Grow More Vegetables Seed Grant Recipients

 

Syngenta congratulates the recipients of the Syngenta Grow More Vegetables seed grant program, selected from applicants nationwide. The three stand-out honorees will be awarded garden grant packages that support their efforts to educate local communities on the benefits of fresh vegetable production and consumption.

 

The grant program is a real-world, community example of The Good Growth Plan, a plan composed of six commitments Syngenta has made to address the global food security challenge with specific and measurable targets that focus on boosting resource efficiency, rejuvenating ecosystems and strengthening rural communities.

The 2015 grant recipients are:

At Pierz Healy Middle School in Pierz, Minnesota, about 275 students and 14 community members contribute to the success of the school garden. Coordinators of the garden program utilize the garden as a hands-on tool to educate students about science and the environment. Multiple classes in the school address different aspects of the garden, from designing its layout to making and testing scientific hypotheses. In addition to the middle school students actively involved in the garden, agricultural science teacher Patricia Tax engages students from both the elementary and high schools to educate the entire community about the benefits of growing produce. “We see this as a growing opportunity of plants, of course, but also as a way to foster relationships and personal growth,” Tax said.

 

Members of the South Winneshiek High School FFA program are well-equipped for career success thanks to the education provided by the vocational agricultural program. Students learn about agriculture through traditional gardening techniques, as well as hands-on science, technology, engineering and math-based, or STEM-based, experiments in the greenhouse. The South Winn Gardens contain raised garden beds, a microgreen system, a greenhouse and a test plot. Students in this program market the produce to the local community and donate a portion of it to the district’s food pantry. Melissa Brincks, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, said, “It is the goal of the agricultural department to graduate students who are well-rounded and exposed individuals. This robust program helps provide students with the tools they need to pursue careers in agriculture.”

 

The Kane Street Community Garden is a project run by the Hunger Task Force of La Crosse, Wisconsin, to help feed the hungry in the state’s Great Rivers region. Recent census data indicates that more than 25 percent of the residents in the area are living below the poverty line, and Kane Street Garden coordinators hope to provide free produce to all of these residents. Through the community garden program, those in need of food will have access to free produce, as well as an opportunity to contribute to the success of the garden and help build the community. “The Kane Street Community Garden is in the area of the city that it needs to be,” said Shelly Fortner, executive director of The Hunger Task Force. “Working directly with the low-income population, it is truly a community project.” Each year, the project serves more than 1,100 people and has about 1,200 volunteers.

 

“Now in our third year of offering the Syngenta Grow More Vegetables seed grant, we continue to be humbled by the number of schools and organizations that are passionate about serving their communities through gardening programs,” said Mary Streett DeMers, Syngenta vegetables communications lead. “The positive impact these programs have on their community is a true testament to the benefits of fresh vegetable production and consumption.”

 

The Syngenta Grow More Vegetables seed grant program supports hands-on educational opportunities to enhance healthy eating programs in communities, as well as reinforce and support programming of The Good Growth Plan. The grant program is led by DeMers and Jeannine Bogard, Syngenta garden vegetables product business manager.