NAVAJO COMMUNITIES ARE STRIVING TO ENHANCE FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, YET THEY FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES DUE TO LIMITED ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS AND GARDENING BARRIERS. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN TEACHING NAVAJO CHILDREN ABOUT HEALTHY EATING, GARDENING AND SUSTAINING TRADITIONS. HOWEVER, TEACHERS OFTEN LACK THE NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO INTEGRATE THESE TOPICS INTO THEIR CURRICULA. WE WILL ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS BY OFFERING AN IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR TEACHERS SERVING NAVAJO STUDENTS IN ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO AND UTAH. THIS INTEGRATED PROJECT BRINGS TOGETHER RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES TO ADDRESS THE AFRI PRIORITY AREAS OF A) PLANT HEALTH AND PRODUCTION AND PLANT PRODUCTS, B) FOOD SAFETY, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH, AND C) AGRICULTURE ECONOMICS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES. OUR FIVE-PERSON PROJECT TEAM, BASED AT THE NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES CENTER, BRINGS EXPERTISE IN AGRICULTURE, GARDENING, HEALTH, EDUCATION AND NAVAJO TRADITIONS. WE WILL TRAIN AND MENTOR 60 TEACHERS (MAINTAINING A 1:12 FACILITATOR-TO-TEACHER RATIO) TO IMPLEMENT THE EVIDENCE-BASED YÉEGO! HEALTHY EATING AND GARDENING PROGRAM. A RIGOROUS EVALUATION WILL BE CONDUCTED TO MEASURE THE IMPACT ON TEACHER AND STUDENT OUTCOMES. WE ESTIMATE THAT THE PROGRAM WILL ENHANCE GARDENING AND HEALTHY EATING BEHAVIORS IN OVER 1,200 NAVAJO YOUTH OVER THREE YEARS. ULTIMATELY LEADING TO A STRENGTHENED TEACHER WORKFORCE, PROMOTE FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND ADVANCE HEALTHY FOODSIN NAVAJO COMMUNITIES.

New Mexico State University, Las Cruces NM

Investigators