Home gardening — no matter where you live — is good for kids of all ages. Gardening encourages children and families to eat healthier, it builds self-confidence, develops analytical abilities, and can positively impact psychological well being. Plus, gardening is fun. It also sparks a passionate curiosity about where good food originates. This curiosity often develops into a love for healthy, flavorful food. In other words, gardening with your children is helping to create the future foodies of the world.
Gardening ignites an interest in food and awakens a curiosity in farming.
Donna Letier, CEO and co-founder of Gardenuity
What does a future foodie look like?
Someone who loves to cook and eat but is equally interested in where food comes from. A foodie is someone who likes all aspects of food — the soil it grows in, the smell it presents at harvest, how it looks on a plate, and how it engages with all senses. A future foodie is someone who is developing an early appreciation for the ins and outs of food from the seed, to the soil, to the plant, and to the harvest.
Today real foodies are mindful, they want to understand everything possible about a particular food which includes where it originated. Consumers are aligning with the values of the farms that are providing the foods we eat and enjoy every day. This body-mind connection is a key influencer in new food trends, and we all benefit from it. Leaders in the food industry are driven by fresh corporate values that include social conscience and the full life cycle of the food we enjoy.
Why are future foodies important?
With an aging population of farmers, agriculture needs to attract more young people. One way to do this is to engage kids in patio/home gardening at an early age. Exposure to gardening can spark a true interest in design, environmental sciences, communication technologies, marketing, logistics, quality assurance, food preparation, and teaching. All of these interests are part of a farmer’s world.
How do I help create future foodies?
It’s simple: garden with the young people you know!
Whether you have your own kids or are helping at the community outreach garden, exposure to food gardening can grow into a lifetime love of food. Planting these seeds of curiosity at a young age can have lasting benefits for our future generation.