This month's Agriculture Collaborative meeting was a special 2-hour meeting focused around the topic of implementing a Local Food and Agriculture Summer Camp program.

If you missed this interactive and inspiring meeting, check out the summary below.

The meeting, co-sponsored by the Alliance for a Carbon Neutral Food Shed, included speakers from a variety of organizations which helped to set the stage for the topic at hand. The meeting was highly interactive as all attendees participated in an "open space process" of facilitation to brainstorm and answer questions related to the implementation of a local food and agriculture summer camp education program.

Speakers at the meeting included:

• Bruce Milne, Director of the UNM Sustainability Studies Program , who introduced the topic and the process for the meeting.
• Susan Keith, Coordinator for the Alliance for a Carbon-Neutral Foodshed, who provided examples of model programs around the US for the group to look to for ideas.
• Ann Simon, organizer of the MRCOG Agriculture Collaborative , introduced two articles citing international examples of model food shed programs with schools.
• Le Adams, from Farm to Table , talked about existing local programs involving youth and farming at schools and community gardens. She also expressed many ideas for expanding existing programs.
• Robin Seydel, from La Montanita Co-op , talked about some of the school gardening programs they have implemented in conjunction with Veggiegrower Gardens of New Mexico.

In addition to the above named speakers, many attendees at the meeting added a variety of comments and suggestions to the discussion. After the speaker session of the meeting, the facilitation process and group brainstorming began.

Some of the main topics and questions from the "open space" facilitation process were:

• Venue for the camp: What type of venue should be used? Would this be a permanent or traveling venue? What about field trips? Should an existing venue be used and expanded?
• School credit: How do you implement the program so students receive credits for school? Should this be more than just a camp and turned into an actual school-based program?
• Engagement of community: How do you engage students and their families? What is the best way to include a variety of community groups, growers, schools and teachers?
• Cost and Funding: How will the program be funded? Are there possibilities for student-based business initiatives? Collaboration with other agencies to secure funding?
• Benefits to community: How will this program benefit students?  What kinds of curricula can be introduced that enhances current skill sets?  How can this program benefit existing farmers?

Next Steps:

1.  Compile all information, questions and suggestions

2.  Hold followup meeting, open to the public with special invitations to those interested members who signed the sign-up sheets.