In January, the city of Denver released the Denver Food Vision 2030 Progress Report for 2024. The Denver Food Vision was first publicly released in 2017 to establish and promote guiding principles to address the deficits in the local food systems. In the first report it is stated that about 1 in 6 Denver households experience food insecurity and about 70% of Denver Public Schools students qualify for free or reduced cost lunch programs. This vision focuses on reshaping the entire food landscape in Denver, from production to access, and addresses the interconnected issues of food security, environmental impact, and social justice. The Denver Food Vision notes 12 winnable goals, outlining where they will be receiving data, their baselines, targets and rationale.

SustainEd Farms is directly addressing are I.2 and H3, subsections to two of the goals.
I.2 Expand community food production and sharing. For this goal, data is collected from Denver Public Schools and a few others. The report states that, as for 2024, there are 75 active school gardens and 50 which are currently inactive. SustainEd Farms in collaboration with Denver Public Schools is expanding and activating up to ten new gardens annually through 2029. For SustainEd Farms, activation also means long-term commitment. Once SustainEd Farms commits to working with a school we pour into the garden and school community as if they were our first. For the majority of our partner schools, we are the primary ones educating, planting, maintaining, and harvesting within that space. Even though school lets out for the summer, SustainEd Farms remains an active presence by ensuring that the gardens are taken care of so that when students return in the fall they are able to experience a thriving garden space during recess and fall garden programming.
H.3 Promote healthy food environments and education for youth. More specifically, this section has a goal that 75% of youth and adults consume at least one serving of fruit and vegetables per day. Neither we nor any of our partners report data for this section of the Denver Food Vision report. However, the work we do inherently addresses this section as well. While we may never know the exact number of students who consistently choose to eat more fruits and vegetables, we do know that our programming provides them with numerous opportunities to build a positive, lasting relationship with healthy foods.
Ensuring all students have access to holistic education regarding urban agriculture, nutrition and their local food systems is the driving force behind the mission and vision of SustainEd Farms. To do this work in a place which also values working towards solutions and creating a more food justice city does not eliminate the barriers or difficulty but has allowed for valuable collaborations, and meaningful life-long connections.
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