FARMING THE FUTURE

Growing your own food, working in a garden, and being part of sustainable agriculture isn’t always something young people experience. A Phoenix-based non-profit, Urban Farming Education (UFE), is working to change that. “We want to create spaces of opportunity that are less institutionalized where kids get to put their fingers in the dirt,” says Joe Roselle, Chief Operating Officer of UFE.

UFE engages students, educators, parents, and the broader community through building school gardens. The intentionally designed curriculum ensures the ongoing success of the garden and sets UFE apart from other school garden efforts. They work with master gardeners, the Arizona Department of Education, and local experts to create lessons that excite students and empower teachers and staff with the knowledge to help the garden thrive.

Maggie Pascaly, Executive Director of the Sub-Zero Group Foundation, was drawn to that commitment to long-term success and its ability to impact students as well as teachers.

“Food is such an important part of our daily lives and crucial to a child’s development and academic success,” says Pascaly. “When we give students the opportunity to learn about how to grow, harvest, and eat food to fuel their bodies, it can have compounding impact both in and out of the classroom.”

UFE’s commitment to building community and creating engaging opportunities for students centered around food inspired a recent investment from the Sub-Zero Group Foundation to further the organization’s impact.

“Funding from the Sub-Zero Group Foundation allows us to expand our footprint to more schools and deepen our impact in the community,” says Roselle. “It enables us to create a more robust curriculum to help train teachers in the fundamentals of gardening plus ways to teach their students the importance of nutrition.”

While the staff at UFE spends much of their time with their hands in the dirt, they are also dedicated to bringing people together to improve their communities. The UFE office boasts an urban garden (of course), plus an outdoor kitchen, a greenhouse, a composting area, and areas reserved for relaxation. They often host other organizations for team-building opportunities and have begun offering gardening seminars to the public, which expands their reach to bring educational opportunities to the greater Phoenix community. UFE uses its facilities and knowledge to educate people about the positive impact that they can have through urban farming.

Pascaly got to see the grounds during a site visit and, with it, experienced first-hand the potential for making a difference.

“UFE has strategically developed partnerships that advance its vision and create greater connections for students (and the community) to healthy food,” says Pascaly. “I see this investment as something that will build upon their impact and help lay the foundation for young people to have access to fresh, whole foods and learn how to grow them. UFE is truly creating community around food for generations to come.”