Menu
Seven additional Kansas schools will receive hydroponic farm classrooms thanks to a two-year, $1,052,000 Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Community Capacity Grant that Gov. Laura Kelly announced earlier this week.
Kelly announced Monday, Sept. 11, that the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) awarded the final round of SPARK Community Capacity Grant – nearly $10 million to five organizations focused on coordinating services to meet essential health, housing, educational and nutrition needs; expanding educational, health and financial empowerment programs; increasing training for Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers; and expanding services for children and families.
Community Green Farms, a not-for-profit headquartered in Pittsburg, was the recipient of $1,052,000 to help complete phase one of the organization’s Farm to School initiative.
The first phase of the initiative includes providing 10 school districts in southeast Kansas with a hydroponic farm similar to the ones in operation at Leafy Green Farms in Pittsburg. Leafy Green Farms is the first vertical hydroponic farm in Kansas.
Eventually, the goal is to provide one hydroponic farm to a school in all 105 counties in Kansas, according to Community Green Farms.
“Phase one is 30% complete with farm classrooms already placed in Crawford, Neosho and Cherokee counties,” a news release from Community Green Farms said. “Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Labette, Linn, Montgomery and Wilson counties remain in phase one.”
The first school to receive one of the hydroponic farms was Pittsburg High School, Pittsburg Unified School District 250, in the summer of 2022. Chanute High School, Chanute USD 413, was the second school to receive a hydroponic farm, and the third hydroponic farm was given to Columbus USD 493.
The Farm to School initiative includes constructing a vertical hydroponic farm classroom to grow hyper-organic produce that can be consumed in school cafeterias and provided to hunger relief programs. The farms also will be used in a variety of curriculum, such as health and nutrition, culinary arts, marketing and business, agriculture and botany.
“It is vital that Kansas children and their families receive essential physical and mental health services, housing, nutrition, educational and advocacy services throughout the state,” Gov. Kelly said. “These grants will ensure that children and families have access to the supports necessary for success.”
DCF Secretary Laura Howard added: “At DCF, we believe that communities bring strength through relationships and resources. These organizations are doing just that by offering children and families opportunities to learn and coordinate health, housing and nutritional services through state and local resources.”
The grants are effective Oct. 1, 2023.
Other SPARK Community Capacity Grant recipients are:
The initiative of donating hydroponic vertical farm classrooms came on the heels of Leafy Green Farms receiving a Regional Agribusiness award (southeast) at the To the Stars: Kansas Business Awards Banquet on Oct. 20, 2022.
Community Green Farms is dedicated to its mission of improving the health of communities, a news release from the not-for-profit said.
“We are honored to have been selected as one of the recipients,” said Matt O’Malley, executive director of Community Green Farms. “This is an incredibly exciting time for us. By the end of this grant, there will be 10 schools in southeast Kansas using innovative farm classrooms to teach students about agriculture and nutrition while providing significant amounts of fresh produce for their food service programs. Now that we have secured funding for phase one, we will begin seeking partnerships to fund these innovative agriculture projects in 10 more Kansas counties for phase two.”
In this edition | Feature Story | Assessments and Accountability | Reporting and Operations Standards and Instruction | Student Health and Nutrition | Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition
Questions about this page contact:
Denise Kahler (785) 296-4876 dkahler@ksde.org
In this edition
Sections
The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at gc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.