SARDI Youth, Agriculture & Community

4-H Healthy Habits (sponsored by 4-H and the Walmart Foundation):

The purpose of the grant is to promote healthy eating using recommended nutritional guidelines and to encourage physically active lifestyles among youth. The Healthy Habits program uses a four-pronged approach to strategically leverage the 4-H system to address food access, nutrition and health equity for underserved youth and families across the country.

4-H Healthy Habits:

1. Deploys university-backed, impactful programming.

2. Reaches diverse audiences through local partnerships.

3. Engages youth voice for more impactful delivery and clear messaging.

4. Provides a system of sustainability to enable continued impact for underserved youth and their families in urban and rural communities.

5. Understand the importance of keeping legal documents.

4-H Health Rocks!

4-H Health Rocks! is a program geared toward preventing underage smoking and substance abuse for at-risk middle and high school aged youth. Health Rocks! utilizes a multidimensional curriculum, which promotes the positive development of well-rounded youth, while enabling invaluable confidence and skills necessary to make responsible life-altering decisions, unlike traditional programs which focus on short-term preventative measures.

Youth Community Gardening

The goal of the SARDI Youth Gardening Program is to promote healthy eating habits and to provide educational support to the youth that we serve regarding basic agriculture and gardening practices. SARDI sponsors and provides agricultural support to numerous community partners that range from schools to non-profit organizations.

Community Gardening

The goal of the SARDI Community Garden Program is to promote healthy eating habits and provide alternative food sources to the communities that we serve. SARDI sponsors and provides support to several community gardens.

Boys and Girls Club of Opelousas and Ville Platte (C.H.E.F. CAMP)

The club is a setting that provides a safe environment with an array of programs and activities for youth in the community.

The camp provides youth with knowledge about nutrition, food safety, and physical activity. During the summer months, the youth are involved with hands-on learning by participating in a week-long C.H.E.F. Camp (Creating Healthy Enjoyable Foods). The C.H.E.F. Camp Summer Program is designed to help youth of different ages learn basic healthy cooking while using the majority of ingredients that are already in the household, food safety and using math skills to follow and measure ingredients that are used in recipes properly.

Economic Development

Provide an educational program that will equip participants with general knowledge and understanding of what's needed to own a small business as well as sustain it. Start to finish program.

Farm Operation Assistance

SARDI provides assistance to small or mid-size farmers and disadvantaged producers. Assistance is provided through connecting farmers and producers to government agencies such as the USDA which provides farmers with support that ranges from farm income, disaster assistance, and conserving natural resources. SARDI also provides assistance and resources to farmers in the following areas:

• Small animal production systems
• Small farm preparation and set-up
• Greenhouse/ Hoop House operations
• Crop Selections
• Pest and disease prevention

For more information, contact:

Kayla M. Fontenot
Assistant Area Agent (SARDI)
1209 Diesi Street
Opelousas, LA 70570
Office: (337) 943-2410
Email: kayla_fontenot@suagcenter.com
facebook.com/SUAgCooperativeExtension
www.suagcenter.com