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FARMS Leadership Program
The FARMS Leadership Program is an educational program geared towards high school students with an interest in science, agriculture, and/or the environment, and the communities in which they live. The program provides a great opportunity for students who would like to get out of the classroom and participate in a hands-on learning experience, develop leadership skills, and learn about possible career opportunities in science, agriculture, and environmental studies. The students participate in one field day each month from October through May and are required to complete a “community action project” that applies the skills and knowledge attained through the program to addressing problems or concerns in the students’ own community.
The FARMS mission: “Utilizing the talents and resources in our local communities, we provide youth with hands-on learning experiences in natural and agricultural systems to develop their personal strengths, critical thinking skills, social responsibility, and respect for the critical interplay of food production, culture, and nature.”
The FARMS philosophy is to create a partnership of organizations that support and implement the FARMS Leadership program, so that participants are exposed to sustainable agriculture practices, the farming industry, the environment and resource conservation, a post-secondary education institution, and professionals in the agricultural and environmental sciences.
A few examples of field days from previous FARMS program years include team building at Westminster Woods Ropes Course, creek restoration in the Sonoma Creek and Petaluma River watersheds, tabling at Sonoma County Agriculture Days, and visits to Benziger Winery, Spring Hill Cheese, Laguna Farms, Twin Hill Ranch, SRJC’s Shone Farm, Bodega Bay Marine Lab, and Safari West.
There are 11 FARMS Leadership Programs statewide that are funded by numerous foundations, private companies, and state and federal programs. FARMS is one of two programs coordinated statewide by the Center For Land Based Learning in Winters, CA. Student recruitment begins in September once school is underway. We are also looking for individuals interested in becoming mentors to students. For more information, please visit the Center for Land Based Learning website at www.landbasedlearning.org or contact Jason Sweeney (707-794-1242, x5)
Check out what we've been up to during the
2004-2005 Program year!
(you will need Adobe Acrobat)
