Farm Camp
Farm Camp makes its debut this summer and Sweetwater is all a buzz about it. Camp will be Monday thru Friday for a few hours a day. Here kids will learn the importance of agriculture with an emphasis in organics and sustainability. |
Education Everywhere
Learning opportunities present themselves all over the farm. Information can be blatantly posted, like this sign about compost, or they can be hidden nuggets of treasure found on the back of a door or conspicuously posted on the community cork board. |
Apprenticeship Program
Each growing season - September through June - Sweetwater takes on four apprentices to live and work on the farm. As part of their compensation the team shares a house on the farm. They work as farmers apprentices in the field five days a week. In addition to their hands on education, Rick Martinez, the founder of Sweetwater, educates them on various areas of farming and assigns them research projects to develop and further their farming education.
Each growing season - September through June - Sweetwater takes on four apprentices to live and work on the farm. As part of their compensation the team shares a house on the farm. They work as farmers apprentices in the field five days a week. In addition to their hands on education, Rick Martinez, the founder of Sweetwater, educates them on various areas of farming and assigns them research projects to develop and further their farming education.
"Field" Trips
These posters are placed on an activity table for elementary students who participate in farm tours. This year alone 4,000 elementary students will have toured Sweetwater to learn about organic farming and sustainability. They go through the fields, visit the animals and compost area, get their hands dirty in the "Future Farmers" garden and wrap it up by making their very own seed pods to take home and plant in their own garden. |
Internship Program
Sweetwater welcomes interns from schools in the Tampa area. This spring interns from the Humanities and Environmental Sciences departments from the University of South Florida have participated in the internship program. Interns join the apprentices and the farmers in the green house and fields to learn about growing edible plants from seed to harvestable product. Although they are not interns, groups from USF and UT come to the farm fairly regularly to volunteer, a much appreciated donation of time.
Sweetwater welcomes interns from schools in the Tampa area. This spring interns from the Humanities and Environmental Sciences departments from the University of South Florida have participated in the internship program. Interns join the apprentices and the farmers in the green house and fields to learn about growing edible plants from seed to harvestable product. Although they are not interns, groups from USF and UT come to the farm fairly regularly to volunteer, a much appreciated donation of time.
Educating Tampa
There are field trips available to the public on market days, Sundays. People are encouraged to come experience the culture of an organic community and learn more about the lifestyle. Sweetwater also offers workshops open to the public on various topics throughout the growing season. Typically these are also held on Sundays. Topics include such things as "Planning Your Spring Garden", "Perennial Vegetables" and distinguishing the difference between organic, natural and conventional labeling. "Teaching kids how to feed themselves and how to live in a community responsibly is the center of an education." - Alice Waters |