young farmers Clubs

The Young Farmers Club:

This is an organized group of young people in a framework of developing farming practices in a school or a society while improving on the leadership skills amongst them. This club aims at organizing students and pupils in a school to work together on their school gardens as well as promoting and disseminating the philosophy of Slow Food in their Schools. The members of the club are trained on sustainable garden practices and nutritional values. The major objective of Young Farmers Club is to strengthen the 10000 gardens project in schools.

Membership and registration in the club

Membership and registration is free of charge to the new members in the club. The club involves all the students and pupils who are interested and enthusiastically working in the gardening activities and other Slow Food projects. The teacher has a role of coordinating, guiding the club members, advising, and promoting the club with in the school as well as taking part in decision making of the club’s activities.

Objectives of the Club.

• Sensitizing more youths to get involved in sustainable agriculture production.
• Capacity building among youths in the schools who can promote and fight for their local and traditional food varieties
• Practicing what is learnt by the club members at their residential places.
• Researching and introducing new local crops for growth
• Promoting of the Slow Food philosophy of Good, Clean and Fair.
• Learning and putting agriculture into practice as well as following the school syllabus
• Preserving and promoting Growing of local/traditional/indigenous crops at risk of extinction.

Qualifications to be a club member.

• To qualify to be a member of young farmers club you must be a registered student, teaching or non-teaching staff member by the school.
• You must be registered by the club.
• You must read the constitution of the club and agree to follow and work under the rules and regulations that govern the club.

Sustainability of the club

Leadership; Electing of new board members (students and pupils) that will guide the club members will be the priority in order to ensure sustainability of the club leadership and Slow food activities in the school. The terms shall be decided by the club members.

Funds; club funds can raised through organizing of different events that can help to raise funds for the sustainability of the club and running of some few activities in the club like the vegetable festival, fruit and juice party, disco soups through making the attendance with a cost.  

Roles of members in the young farmers club

The club’s activities should be related to agriculture and all other Slow Food activities, at least the school has to be with a sustainable school garden for students and pupils to learn from it. Below are some of the activities that should be done in the club:

• Planning for the school garden and working on the garden activities.
• Planting, watering, weeding and harvesting of the produce from the garden is a vital role of a member.
• Organizing events with in the school to promote the Club.
• Deciding when to harvest and what to do with the harvest.
• Holding meetings for the club.

Rules and Regulations that govern the club

• The Club has to be with membership. Every student or pupil in the club should be a fully registered member with a registration number and the registration should be open to every student in the school.
• There should be a committee which is elected by students themselves and an overall teacher coordinator.
• Meeting should be held whenever there is a need for the meeting and a specific day and time should be agreed upon by the members when meetings should be held.
• The members should be from that specific institution.
• All club members should work collectively in the school garden and also other Slow Food projects and activities are limited to only club members with an active participation.
• Attendance lists should be taken and members should register their names after activities and events for proper monitoring and ensure record keeping
• No any club member is allowed to harvest any crop from the garden without permission from the coordinator or chairperson. Or concern of the other members in the club.
• The committee has the powers to resolve conflicts, discipline and terminate any indiscipline member under the guidance of the teacher.
• Every member should be committed and serious.
• Non club members are not allowed to harvest any crop from the club gardens, if any one arrested he/she must pay for what he/she has stolen from the gardens and he/she must pay a fine as decided by the members.