Farm to School: Investing in Our Next Generation of Growers
Through our partnership with the USDA Farm to School program, Guåhan Sustainable Culture (GSC) successfully implemented a hands-on, garden-based education initiative, engaging local elementary school students over the course of two academic years (SY 2023–2024 and SY 2024–2025). Our original goal was to reach 800 students with interactive agricultural and nutrition education. We are proud to report that we have exceeded this goal, reaching a total of 813 students to date.
To achieve this, GSC invited participating schools to attend three field trips to our gardens, with each visit focusing on a different stage of sustainable food production. Lessons included:
Seed sowing and propagation
Transplanting and garden care
Sheet mulching and pest control
Harvesting seeds and fruit
Food preservation techniques
As part of the experience, students engaged in hands-on activities and created educational take-home items such as dry herb bundles (food preservation), seed balls (seed harvesting/sowing), and transplanted plants. These activities were supported by an interactive Farm to School booklet and guest speakers on nutrition, who helped reinforce key messages about healthy eating.
We encountered several challenges related to program implementation. Notably, the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) restricted any food tasting activities under our grant. This component, originally intended to allow students to sample fresh fruits harvested from the garden, was removed in accordance with guidance from the Food and Nutrition Services Management Division (FNSMD). These restrictions also delayed the start of our program during SY 2024–2025 until October, pending formal approval.
In response to these delays and limitations, we expanded our outreach to include local elementary charter schools and opened the program to additional grade groups, which allowed us to meet and surpass our participation goals.
Despite these challenges, our Farm to School initiative successfully connected over 800 students with local agriculture and nutrition education in a meaningful, hands-on way. We are grateful for the USDA’s support in making this impactful experience possible and look forward to continuing our work in promoting sustainable food systems and healthy communities for Guam’s youth.
