Working on Wellness Environments
Working on Wellness Environments (WOW-E) is a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension multidisciplinary community development program

Rio Grande City Comprehensive Planning Public Meetings

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The Working on Wellness Environments team is working with the City of Rio Grande City and Texas Target Communities to begin its comprehensive planning process. The groups, with the help of the local task force known as team ¡Adelante Rio Grande!, have conducted 3 public meetings with members of the local community to gather input. Citizens highlighted needed improvements in active and healthy infrastructure, pollution, preservation, and more. This is the first of many feedback opportunities that will help guide and create the city’s comprehensive plan. For more information on how we can support your community with healthy planning and engagement, visit wowe.tamu.edu.

The Comprehensive Planning Process was featured in the Rio Review, the City of Rio Grande City’s official newsletter, highlighting what a comprehensive plan is and the phases needed to complete the plan. Click here to read the feature.

Welcome to the Funny Farm!

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In Roma, TX, the Funny Farm is the pride of R.T. Barrera Elementary. Spearheaded by physical education teacher Mr. Rolando Munoz, the Funny Farm has expanded from a small garden to a 105 by 150 sq ft “farm”. The Eagle’s Orchard is the newest addition to R.T. Barrera’s Funny Farm.

The orchard was established in January 2020 as part of a Starr County Farm to School initiative with the Working on Wellness Environments program and the Farm to School program. Partners such as Roma ISD, the students and staff at R.T. Barrera Elementary, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, and the local community have helped sustain and move the orchard forward. The orchard includes 43 trees with 8 varieties of grapes, peaches, pineapple oranges, mandarins, limes, figs, grapefruits, and guava trees. Everyone at the school has a role, from food service staff to principals, and down to the students.

The Funny Farm began 9 years ago as a small school garden with just a few plants. The same practice of involving staff, parents, and students has been held to this day. The school attributes this, and constant support from administration as a way the garden has been sustained throughout the years.

Students are especially involved in the farm. They make sure the animals are well taken care of, feed them using measuring cups to make sure they get the right amount of food, harvest produce like lettuce and cucumbers, and make sure that produce goes back to the cafeteria. Additionally, students are allowed to take some of the produce home, where they can prepare a meal and bring it back for show and tell.

Through the farm, students learn agricultural and nutritional practices and introduces them to new fruits and vegetables. Trees in the orchard are watered through a drip irrigation system, and the amount of water depends on the season. The school allows visitors to visit the Funny Farm, where they can learn sustainability practices.

Volunteer involvement has been immense from planting trees to digging holes to pulling weeds. Surplus fruit will be sold at festivals, farmer’s markets, and ag clubs in order to ensure longevity. The farm is looking to adapt an adopt-a-tree program to help sustain the the orchard for many years to come.

With COVID-19- the “farm” has seen its challenges. With students not physically in school, garden maintenance has been done through school administrators themselves. The next phase for the farm is to add pollinator garden beds, and a high tunnel which have all been approved. The farm has also recently been awarded an NRCS grant to help cover costs. The main goal of this project is for Roma ISD to expand to other schools in the district. For more information, check out the video below!

 

What is Farm to School?

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The Eagle’s orchard at R.T. Barrera has been partially funded by donations and most recently, as part of a Starr County Farm to School grant. The National Farm to School effort sprouted in 1996-1997 from the desire to support community-based food systems, strengthen family farms, and improve student health by reducing childhood obesity. In 2004, the National Farm to School Program was officially authorized, and included 400 programs in 22 states. The Farm to School Network was founded in 2007. The National Farm to School network’s first 

decade of efforts focused on developing a strong network of partnerships across sectors, building awareness about farm to school and increasing activities at the state and regional levels through training, capacity building, and policy advocacy.

Farm to school enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early care and education sites. Like at R.T Barrera, students gain access to healthy, local foods, as well as education opportunities such as school gardens, cooking lessons and farm field trips. Farm to school empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to vibrant communities

Farm to school implementation differs by location but always includes one or more of the following:
– Procurement: local foods are purchased, promoted and served in the cafeteria or as a snack or taste-test.
– School Gardens: students engage in hands-on learning through gardening; and
– Education: students participate in education activities to agriculture, food, health or nutrition

Today, there are 42,587 schools involved, 42% of US schools, 23.6 million students engaged, $789m spent on local food, 46 states with supportive policies, and 20,000+ nfsn members. To learn more, you can go here.

Starr County Workshops

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By: Kelsey Coats

On Tuesday, October 22, the Move Rio Forward working group held a Walkability Workshop and Walking Audit at the Kelsey Bass Museum in downtown Rio Grande City facilitated by the Agrilife WoW-E Team. This focused on two of their Route to Destination (R2D) Community PSE Start Ups in Starr County.

A group discussing a barrier on the route during the walking audit.

A group discussing a barrier on the route during the walking audit.

Move Rio Forward aims to make downtown Rio Grande City more walkable for pedestrians, whether those are locals or visitors. The idea is that people will park in one place and walk around to do their errands instead of driving their car to each place separately. The group also envisions people walking around before or after enjoying a meal downtown.

During the Walking Audit workshop attendees walked the downtown area noting what works and what could be improved for supportive walking environments. In attendance were members of the F.J. Scott Study Club and Woman’s Club RGC, Rio Grande City planners, an Economic Development Corporation representative, a Rio Grande City Public Works representative, members of the Rio Grande City Garden Club, and Starr County Agrilife Extension. The group aims to pilot test pop up crosswalks and signage in early 2020. They also hope that making the downtown area more walkable will revitalize the area and make the community healthier.

Picture showing the group who attended the workshop in their safety vests ready to conduct the walking audit.

The Walkability Workshop Group ready to conduct the walking audit in their safety vests.

On Wednesday, October 23, the Rio Grande City Librarian brainstormed active play and walkability ideas with the Agrilife WoW-E Team. The Agrilife WoW-E Team received a tour of the historic building the library is housed in and learned about services and programs offered by the library. The Rio Grande City Librarian is looking to incorporate active play and walkability into existing library programs and is looking for ways to encourage children and their families to be more active at the library. Because the library is an everyday place, they also seek to make walking to and around the library easier. They aim to incorporate pop-up play into an event before the holidays this year.

The picture shows the Rio Grande City Library exterior.

Rio Grande City Library

The Starr County Health Coalition met to learn about and discuss other initiatives in the county and how to promote them as well as to get an update on the WoW-E project. The Agrilife WoW-E Team is excited to continue working with these groups on their Community PSE Start Ups in Starr County and looks forward to returning soon.

Increasing walkability is of growing importance to communities around the nation, with several notable benefits.

  • Health: Multiple studies point to decreased risk for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease for residents of a walkable neighborhood than those in sprawling neighborhoods.
  • Finances: Walking is low cost and people often do not have to spend money on gas.
  • Happiness: Traffic and congestion can cause frustration.
  • Community: Walkable areas increase interaction with friends and neighbors. It also can help small businesses thrive.

 

Find out more about the Agrilife WoW-E initiatives on our Facebook page, Working on Wellness Environments- Texas A&M Agrilife Extension. To inquire about our walking audits and walkability workshops click here.