Sonia Flunder-McNair has a vision.

“To have my little brown children at the Lucas County Fair with their chickens has been the goal — and to integrate our program with the other programs — because we are worthy of that,” said the president and founder of Urban Wholistics and SONIA Organics.

Central State University, 4-H of Lucas County, and the Ohio State University Extension have come together with Urban Wholistics to work toward that end by expanding youth urban farming and nutrition education.

The Urban Farmer Youth Initiative Pilot Program will provide children ages 6 through 18 living in urban areas with hands-on lessons in farming, sustainability, holistic health, entrepreneurship, and environmental activities.

To signify the unification, a ribbon-tying ceremony took place Thursday at the Urban Wholistics Farm on the grounds of Tatum Park, 619 Woodland Ave., where the team announced plans for the establishment of the program under Ohio Senate Bill 111, which was led by state Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson of Toledo.

“We have been working enough to get the attention of Senator Hudson, and we were the poster child of youth farmers,” Ms. Flunder-McNair said.

The Equitable Urban Agriculture Youth Farmers Program gives youth hands-on lessons focused on farming practices following various farm plants from the seed to harvesting. The young farmers are exposed to qualified farming professionals, fresh and local food for lunch, and holistic health and wellness practices.

“I drove back and forth to Columbus speaking to the House of Representatives on why this [bill] should be passed, and it's passed,” she said. “We will now be able to upgrade our programs.”

The initiative previously funded primarily from the profits of SONIA Organics and community contributions will now be funded by the state of Ohio.

“My work allocated to $250,000 each year. This is for two years, so we get $139,000 and then the other is dispersed to Ohio State, Central State, the higher learning institutions or whoever's doing the work,” Ms. Flunder-McNair said.

The programming will educate youth that the benefits of farming can go beyond simply putting food on the table.

“There's so many different opportunities when it comes to agricultural and agricultural facing work,” said Shawnterra Glasgow, a public health practitioner. “We plan to do an exposure day. They'll be seeing other farms throughout Ohio. We want to show youth what their options are.”

Ms. Glasglow is working to help Urban Wholistics build its capacity and scale up the work it’s doing, she said.

“Eventually, we really want to be in the community and in the school,” Ms. Glasgow said. “We’d love to do a farm-to-school salad bar for the youth. We'd love to do cosmetic formulation, getting them to formulate their own products from things right here grown in the garden. They can do hot sauces ... the kids can get fun and do lip glosses and lip chaps from beeswax and all of these different things.”

The Tatum Park location houses an urban farm where youth are taught the importance of the foods they eat and how to grow what they may otherwise be unable to access. The Urban South Youth Farmers Market teaches entrepreneurship while offering the community fresh, organic farm-to-table options.

“We are really excited to be working with Sonia and Central State to bring programming for youth right here in Toledo,” said Amy Stone, Ohio State agriculture and natural resources educator. “They can know that they can grow their own food, and they can also sell that produce or items and make a career of it. And so we're really encouraged and excited about the opportunity that the senator has given us to be able to do this here in Toledo.”

Carla Pattin, a University of Toledo professor and professional gardening coach, said she plans to enroll her 6-year-old daughter in the program as she recognizes the importance of teaching food cultivation as a human right and a source of healing.

“Sonia is a mentor of mine. I was growing food in my backyard, and she was the first person to let me know that what I was doing was actually valuable,” Mrs. Pattin said. “It's beyond a hobby, it's life. It's something that we need to teach everyone. I believe it is a human right, and you also have the right to profit from it, but also share it with others.”

“In a sense, we've lost that through generations, I think because of chattel slavery and everything that African-Americans in particular have gone through over the past like 300 years. We want to step away from growing food because it kind of connects to trauma,” she said.

“But growing is a source of healing, and I want to be a part, and I want to pass that generational blessing or human right to my daughter and let her know that she can grow her own food and be self-sufficient.”

Jess Burns, 4-H educator for Lucas County, said it is evolving beyond traditional agricultural activities.

“We're so much more than sows, plows, and cows,” she said. “Sonia says that it's not just growing the food, it's not just eating the food, it's what we can do with the food. I want to help kids see their potential in those products and know what's going into those products that they're eating, using on their body and that they're selling.

“And I hope to bring research-based material to these kids to help them succeed as a young entrepreneur, as a farmer, or just as a human being," she said.

Bridget Adams-Brewer’s children, Miles, 10, and Lucy, 8, have participated in the program in the past. Mrs. Brewer is excited that expansion is on the horizon. Her children planted pear trees and potatoes.

“They’ve always loved to cook, and, when you cook, you want good, fresh ingredients so we came to learn to grow them and use them,” she said. “And it got them to try some cool new foods.”

First Published September 20, 2024, 8:47 p.m.