PROGRAM PROPOSAL OUTLINE - MPA FUNDING

Title of Program: The Edible Forest Project: UMD for a Sustainable Prince Georges County Sponsoring Department: Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics (AREC) & University of Maryland Extension (UME) Contact Information: AREC: Adaire Parker, 2200 Symons Hall, College Park, MD 20742 | 301-405-1291 | aparker@arec.umd.edu UME: Christie Balch, 6200 Sheridan Street, Riverdale, MD 20737 | 301-779-2806 x706 | cbalch@umd.edu Funding Amount Requested: $5,000 (see budget below) Program Dates: Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Target Population: Undergraduate and graduate students; students and staff at William Wirt Middle School; neighborhood residents I. Target Population The Agricultural & Resource Economics Department and the University of Maryland Extension would like to provide an outlet for students to engage in surrounding communities for several service learning days at the planned Edible Forest at Riverdale Garden over the course of academic year. We wish to target the following populations: 50 undergraduate and graduate students (including student body groups) interested in volunteering and being engaged in the local Prince Georges County community will help build and maintain the Edible Forest. 25 students from the neighborhood middle school will participate in educational activities and workdays at the Edible Forest. 100 neighborhood residents and other community members seeking opportunities to learn about edible forest gardening and about increasing local food production will participate in educational workshops and workdays.

II. Problem/Issues The University of Maryland Extension needs to establish a more solid pipeline of volunteers within the campus community. The Agricultural & Resource Economics Department (housed with the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources) is one of programs few gateways to the student body. This initiative seeks to serve as a catalyst for a partnerships between the Riverdale Community Garden and UMD. This is necessary because: Prince Georges County, Maryland is rife with health issues, many of which stem from poor diet. County residents experience higher rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer than the state average, and tragically, racial and ethnic differences reveal even greater disparities. 1 The Edible Forest Garden Project will provide residents with opportunities for both physical activity and increased access to healthy food in the neighborhood.

University of Maryland School of Public Health. Transforming Health in Prince Georges County, Maryland: A Public Health Impact Study. http://www.sph.umd.edu/princegeorgeshealth/TransformingHealth.pdf

University of Maryland Extensions Sheridan Street Community Garden offers a solution for residents who seek to grow their own healthful food. However, due to a long wait list for garden plots, the garden seeks to expand its efforts in food production with the creating of an Edible Forest Garden. This will also help increase interest and build a solid, dependable volunteer base for the community garden. University of Maryland students as well as local middle school students are looking for more opportunities for service learning projects; this project will meet that need.

III. Program Goals and Objectives Starting Fall 2013, the Edible Forest Project seeks to build an organization of volunteers from the University and County community by establishing volunteer days. We also wish to partner with the Stamp-sponsored Terp Service Days as the Riverdale Sheridan Center has done in the past. In the long run, we aim to: Provide an outdoor classroom, adjacent to our community garden that will afford opportunities for education as well as fruits, nuts, and berries. Our management goals will be accomplished by our educational events for instance, a 1 hour workshop on fruit tree pruning will be followed by an hour of pruning our entire edible forest garden together. Provide a space for an intergenerational learning community in Prince Georges County consisting of neighborhood residents, University of Maryland Students, and students from the nearby middle school.

IV. Potential Impacts on Student Experience Students who participate in the Edible Forest Project will have the benefit of seeing their impact on the community firsthand. They will also have the opportunity to interact with their neighbors in the surrounding community breaking down racial, cultural and/or class barriers. The garden is housed at the Sheridan Street community center in Riverdale, which is only a 4 minute drive from campus and also is accessible by UMD Shuttle (126 New Carrollton). The initiative seeks to have following impacts on student experience: The Edible Forest Project will provide the student body with service learning opportunities that will benefit both the university and the community The program will give University of Maryland students a wider scope into issues of food insecurity and urban blight. Through building marketing efforts for the preliminary program, various student organizations can contribute over time to the Edible Forest Project. For instance, events such as the STAMP sponsored Terp Service Days event could serve as the launchpad for the service learning program.

V. Alignment with University Strategic Plan Goals The Edible Forest is seeking to enhance community aesthetic as well as improve health through local food/farming. As a part of the University Strategic Plan, this initiative seeks to contribute to TWO out of the FOUR transformational outcomes that have been set out by the Provosts Office: o (1) Contributing to a VIBRANT SURROUNDING COMMUNITY: The University will help transform its surrounding area into an economically, socially, and culturally vibrant community that is welcoming and attractive to students, faculty, staff , neighbors, and visitors

(2) Being A CATALYST FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND A HEALTHIER SOCIETY : The State of Maryland and the nation will view the University as an indispensable partner in stimulating economic development and enhancing the quality of life of all its citizens.

VI.

Plans for Impact Evaluation If funded, our Edible Forest Project will develop a mechanism for tracking participation; an evaluation plan; and a logic model with inputs, outputs, short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes, values, and assumptions. Volunteer surveys will also be developed which will include questions such as: what did they expect from the project, did they feel like they have contributed to local community, and what additional projects would they like to contribute to in the future? Amount of Funding Requested The program is requesting a total of $5,000 to implement this initiative. Total Program Budget See below:

VII. VIII.

RIVERDALE FOOD FOREST - PLANT MATERIAL COST ESTIMATE

Plant Type Trees Large Shrubs Small Shrubs Perennials Vines TOTAL Quantity Unit Low Unit High Total Low Total High 12 $40 $60 $480 $720 22 $25 $35 $550 $770 25 $10 $14 $250 $350 90 $8 $12 $720 $1,080 2 $25 $35 $50 $70 $2,450 $2,990

RIVERDALE FOOD FOREST - OTHER EXPENSES

Item Total Consultant Lincoln Smith - to lead day long workshop/workday $300 Benches and signs $1,000 Tools $410 Food and event supplies $300 TOTAL $2,010

GRAND TOTAL

$5,000