Jones Valley Urban Farm

Each time a child experiences first-hand exactly how a turnip becomes a turnip, holds an eggplant for the first time, or discovers that strawberry is not just a milkshake, small changes happen.  Together these changes can improve the health and wellness of Alabama children.  And these changes are happening every day at Jones Valley Urban Farm, an urban teaching farm located in downtown Birmingham, providing agriculture, food and nutrition education for schools and children.  

We invite you to join us as we develop hands-on lessons and materials for agriculture, food and nutrition so that we can increase healthy minds and bodies ready to succeed in school and in life.

Our K-8 education programs teach children where food comes from. And why what they eat matters.  Kids don’t just watch.  They dig, think and do.  Then they pick, prepare and eat.  This outdoor classroom is where traditional academic standards and true active learning meet.  Result: education that gets to the root of our health problems.

We believe our educational approach can help turn around Alabama's dangerous obesity epidemic and other diet-related health conditions.  We believe Jones Valley Urban Farm can empower thousands of children to make healthier choices. And we believe that means big changes for future generations.

Over the last decade, Jones Valley Urban Farm has achieved some significant results:

• Educated over 4,000 K-8 students through our Seed to Plate program—a food and nutrition education curriculum designed using National Science Education and National Health Education standards.
• Trained over 1,000 school cafeteria and childcare workers on healthier menus and healthy food preparation techniques
• Successfully advocated for the removal of all deep fat fryers from Birmingham City Schools
• Provided technical assistance to 11 school districts for enhancing their wellness policies to include better nutrition, nutrition education, and food procurement practices

 

As we enter our next ten years of growth, JVUF’s investment in the future begins with a measurable goal: to reach 10,000 students annually by 2015 through our K-8 curriculums and programs.

Join us today by making a contribution.