Meet Ken Sparks | Farmer & Owner of The Farmer Ken
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Provided by: Shoutout LA|Published on: October 14, 2021
Articles/WebsitesScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This is an article about Ken Sparks, a gardening enthusiast, farmer, and educator in Los Angeles who has helped people in LA (California), Cleveland (Ohio), and Chicago (Illinois).
- This interview details his introduction to gardening as a child; his experiences learning about agriculture and environmental science through a program in college called Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences; and his business selling fresh produce and herbs through his company, The Farmer Ken.
Subjects: Social Studies, Biology, Health
Authors: Shoutout LA
Region: North America, USA - West, USA - Midwest, United States, California, Illinois, Ohio
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This is a nice example of someone following their passion and making a living doing what they love.
- It highlights the need for more community gardens, local food, and support for fresh and healthy food options in underserved communities.
Additional Prerequisites
- It might be helpful for students to learn about food deserts, which are areas that lack healthy food options and grocery stores.
Differentiation
- Social studies and biology classes could discuss the connections or correlations between a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables and levels of health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease in various communities.
- Cross-curricular connections could be made with economics and civics classes by discussing payments and subsidies in the Farm Bill that could be redirected to smaller-scale farmers that produce healthy food for people.
- Other similar resources are this Garden Lesson Plan and How to Analyze Sustainability Problems: Food Deserts.
This resource captures the concept of garden education in fighting climate change. It can motivate students to engage more in gardening activities at schools, communities, and parks. This is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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