AppHarvest and the Pike County Extension Office have collaborated to bring a day camp to a local high school and to teach 10 to 18-year-old students about the importance of healthy eating habits, where the food on their plates actually comes from, as well as opportunities for employment and careers in the fields of agricultural technology.
“We have an assortment of activities that the kids are participating in on the container farm such as seeding, transplanting, and harvesting,” said AppHarvest’s AgTech Program Coordinator Molly McKinney.
The camp, which is being held from July 20 to July 22, has more activities than just the container farm. The camp’s activities include a “food safari”, which teaches kids where exotic and not-so-exotic foods come from and how they grow, as well as a cooking demonstration using vegetables the kids planted earlier in the week.
“I think when they think about agriculture they think about the big, long, large fields and toiling in the sun,” said Pike County 4-H Extension Agent Novella B. Froman. “I think this gives them another view and exposure via learning activities.”
“It’s really important for students or kids, in general, to know where food comes from and what are healthy options,” said McKinney. “There are healthy options at any grocery store and, again, it’s really important for folks to know exactly where their food is coming from and we look forward to doing this for many summers to come.”
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