By Paula Balbontin | Program & Development Manager
In September 2021, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health) published new research on the impact of schools as “crucial settings for interventions that alter the food environment and promote healthful behaviors within their communities” (Source: Impact of a School-Based Gardening, Cooking, Nutrition Intervention on Diet Intake and Quality: The TX Sprouts Randomized Controlled Trial). This study created several opportunities for organizations such as Urban Harvest to explore new mechanisms for increasing healthy food access and improving the diets not only of children but their whole families as a result.
One of Urban Harvest's most important accomplishments in 2022 has been the launch of the first Mobile Farmers Market site at one of our school partners - Lantrip Elementary School - in an effort to build evidence around holistic approaches to tackle the existing food insecurity in Houston, Texas.
Between April and June, this market had an average sales amount of $650 per market which is higher than any other market site. Once a month, Urban Harvest invested in marketing and outreach material including flyers that are promoting volunteer opportunities at the school garden, access to our classes at no cost, and location to nearby farmers' markets and farm stands operating our nutrition incentive program, Double Up Houston. Once a month, the Mobile Farmers Market engages the school community in opportunities to eat and support our local food system by purchasing fruits, vegetables, and other food staples at cost.
Today, our Mobile Farmers Market at Lantrip Elementary is providing Urban Harvest and our partner organizations with a successful case study to evaluate the impact of our holistic approach in schools and we are in the process of securing funding to bring the Mobile Market to a second school.
At Urban Harvest, we believe that by providing a diverse set of opportunities for individuals and families to engage with our programs, we are increasing the chances that they will develop healthy eating habits. To track this, one of Urban Harvest’s metrics across programs is our “Cross-pollination Rate” which measures the engagement of our beneficiaries across programs. For example, how our class participants participate in volunteering opportunities or visit our farmers' markets. In specific for our Mobile Market shoppers, our text-messaging strategy has been a successful strategy to gather interest from our shoppers to learn about Urban Harvest and our goal is to continue increasing the connection between our Mobile Market shoppers and other Urban Harvest services including Double Up sites, access to our classes, volunteering opportunities and more.
How does Urban Harvest measures the Cross-Pollination Rate? Today, Mobile Market shoppers are invited to complete our Contact Form to receive reminders about our market sites and invitations to join our community listening sessions and annual engagement surveys. As part of this survey, we gather information about how shoppers have engaged with us in the past and how they would like to engage in the future.
With support from GlobalGiving, our programs are working together towards building a sustainable “Farm-to-School” movement and improving the health of socially-vulnerable children and families.
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