Tierra Lucero

← Founded in 2001, Tierra Lucero in a non-profit organization based in Taos,

New Mexico whose mission is to create energy sovereignty for the community through
the local production of food and fuel. Currently, we are involved in a number of
successful projects including; Omega Bio-energy, Taos Sunday Market, and Red Willow
Education Center. With this grant opportunity, we look forward to bringing a hands-on
nutrition and food production experience to the school system in Taos. We plan to spend
fourteen days in each classroom presenting Food Is Elementary, a nationally acclaimed
program that incorporates food preparation and tasting, and nutrition education. We will
also provide mini greenhouses for the classroom and bring the children to Thanksgiving
Farm where they will plant, tend and harvest vegetables to use in the classroom. Our
program will work with four classrooms the first semester to demonstrate its potential.
We plan to expand as the schools become more familiar with the curriculum. Our goal is
to expose children in Taos County and their families to the concepts of local agriculture
and nutritious food while preventing serious health challenges.

We are in the midst of a national health crisis. According to the Center for
Disease Control, 1 in 3 individuals born in the year 2000 will develop Type 2 Diabetes, a
direct consequence of obesity. Taos, falls into the category of a ‘vulnerable population’
due to its genetic configuration and 22.8% poverty rate, as compared to 11.8% nationally,
which brings its diabetes potential to 1 in 2.12 Historically called Adult Onset Diabetes,
Type 2 Diabetes, is now also present in children and obesity rates have tripled for
adolescents in the last ten years alone.3 Simultaneously, school systems across the country
are cutting both physical education and outdoor playtime while increasing availability of
high-caloric junk food and decreasing funds available for “superfluous” education like
physical education, nutrition and art. In 2000, CDC found that just 8 % of elementary
schools, 6.4 % of middle or junior high schools, and 5.8 % of high schools provide
Physical Education for the entire school year of students in all grades.4 We are looking at
the first generation in 200 years to live shorter lives than their parents.5

We can effect change in these critical areas by educating our youth and deepening
their understanding of health and nutrition through the contextual experience of farming.
Not only will we provide essential knowledge about nutrition and the importance of
eating locally grown food, but we will also get students moving outside and investing in
their own food production. In 2003, Santa Fe established a program called Cooking with
Kids which expanded to include a Farm to School element. They now serve 6800
students, providing extensive nutrition education. The program is modeled after the
curriculum designed by Antonia Demas, PhD called Food Is Elementary which has won
national awards including the LINC Award recognizing Leadership, Innovation, and
Nutrition Collaboration from USDA, as well as Innovation in Prevention Award from the
Department of Health and Human Services. Demas has 21 years of experience in
nutrition education and her program boasts dramatic results. In one study, 30% of
previously obese children who participated in the Food Is Elementary program were no
longer in this category after 5 months.6 In Santa Fe, health scores of participating children
increased by as much as 89% and 35% of families reported a “trickle up” effect when
children were successfully changing family food choices at home.

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Getting kids actively engaged in food choices and education, as well as in the
production of their food, gives them a sense of connectedness to the local agricultural
base. Through educating children and their families about nutrition and local food
production we can profoundly impact the health of our community and take a strong step
toward revitalizing our local agricultural economy.

Objective: By May 2010, to reduce the body mass index of 75% of overweight children
participating in the Food Is Elementary nutrition education program by at least 10%.
Objective: By May 2010, to increase health scores on surveys prepared by Food is
Elementary of 80% of participating students from below average to above average
through nutrition education.
Method: Measure the health scores and Body Mass Index (BMI) of both the
participating and control group students.
Tasks
• Give a preliminary assessment, including a health survey and a BMI
test to the participating students as well as the control group of
analogous students.
• Send a health survey home to the parents of both the participating
and control group.
• Give a secondary assessment of both groups of students identical to
the primary assessment.
• Evaluate the results of the program.

Method: Deliver Food Is Elementary nutrition education program to

students.
Tasks
• Visit classroom on a bimonthly basis.
• Present the curriculum (farm visits indicated by *):
1. Harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables *
2. Introducing the Food Pyramid, Hygiene & Safety
3. Dietary Fat
4. Food Comparisons, Labels and Shopping
5. Exercise *
6. Vitamins
7. Whole Grains *
8. Whole Grain Breads
9. Tabouli and Egyptian Grain Dishes
10. Fruits *
11. Fruit Varieties in Individual Bioregions *
12. Vegetables *
13. Greens *
14. Legumes *

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Objective: To increase eco-literacy and agricultural awareness in 90% of participating

students by May 2010 through visiting Thanksgiving Farms.
Method: Visit Thanksgiving Farm seven times with each class during the
semester.
Tasks
• Prepare onsite classroom and farm curriculum.
• Drive the children to the farm.
• Soil preparation
• Green house utilization education
• Transplant
• Maintenance
• Harvest
• Give an evaluation before and after to test children’s skills

Method: Utilize four mini-greenhouses in each classroom.

Tasks
• Obtain materials including soil, seeds and containers for growing
starts.
• Plant vegetable seeds; water and tend to their growth.
• Transplant the starts to Thanksgiving farm in the late spring.

BUDGET DETAIL

US DOE Applicant Total

PERSONNEL
A.1 Project Director/ Teaching Assistant $17,500 $17,500
100% time @ $2500/months x 7 months
A.2 Teacher 15,000 15,000
100% time @ $2500 / month x 6 months
A.3 Farmer 420 420
$20/hour x 21 hours

Personnel Sub-Total $32,500 $420 $32,920

B. Fringe Benefits
B.1 Project Director/ Teaching Assistant
25% x $17,000 =
4,250 4,250
B.2 Teacher 3,750 3,750
25% x $15,000=
Fringe Benefits Sub-Total $8,000 $8,000

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US DOE Applicant Total

C. Travel
C.1 Van rental & Shuttle-
28 days x $40/ day = 1,120 1,120
C.2 Gas-
28 trips x 30 miles x .66 cents / mile = 554 554

Travel Sub-Total $1,674 $1,674

D. Equipment 0 0

Equipment Sub-Total $0 $0
E. Supplies
E.1 Food Is Elementary Curriculum $150 $150

E.2 Food & Fresh Vegetables- 600 600 1,200

$25 per visit x 48 visits =
E.3 Plates, bowls and cups 179 179
$8.99 per set x 20 sets
E.4 Pots, Pans & Cooking Utensils 75 75
E.5 Copy Machine 149 149
E.6 Paper & Ink 85 85
E.7 Office Cell Phone-
$49 per month x 6 months
294 294
E.8 Mini greenhouses 208 50 258

Supplies Sub-Total $1,486 $904 $2,390

F. Other
F.1 Nurse- 2,000 2,000
80 hours x $25 an hour

Other Sub-Total $2,000 $2,000

G. Total Direct Costs $45,660 $1,324 $47,484
J. Indirect Costs - 8% of TDC $3,747
I. Total Program Costs $51,231

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BUDGET NARRATIVE
A. Personnel-The project manager will be responsible for maintaining relationships
with the school and Thanksgiving Farm, and for assisting the teacher in the classroom
and on the farm.
B. Travel-The project manager will rent a van and drive each class to Thanksgiving
Farm seven times over the course of the project.
C. Supplies-. The Thanksgiving Farm will provide the fresh vegetables to prepare
meals in the classroom. Each classroom will have four mini greenhouses costing $12.99
each to start vegetables for future planting at Thanksgiving Farm. Thanksgiving Farm
will provide seeds and soil.
D. Other-A registered nurse will spend one week at the beginning and one week at the
end of the program evaluating students’ BMI and health surveys.

EVALUATION

What criteria are being tracked:

1. the number of students visiting the farm
2. the BMI of the students before and after participating in the FIE nutrition program
3. BMI of the control group that is not participating in the program
4. the students’ improvement in health scores
5. the number of students reporting weight loss
6. the percent weight loss of all students

Those who are responsible for tracking:

1. The teacher who is implementing the curriculum will track students health scores
and farm participation.
2. The contracted nurse will track student BMI and weight.

References:

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1
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Taos-New-Mexico.html
2
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jan2006/diab-j30.shtml
3
http://www.childrenshospitals.net/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Site_Map3&TEMPLATE=/CM/
ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=47972
4
http://wellness4you.nv.gov/Training/module4_1.htm
5
http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/speeches/sp20090728.html
6
http://www.foodstudies.org/Results/ResearchSummaries.htm