Love fresh fruits and veggies? SLO High School students created a guide to local farms
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, San Luis Obispo High School students Emily Pan and Talia Zundel noticed one profound side effect: food waste.
Pan said she was shocked when she read an article from The New York Times that described farmers dumping millions of gallons of milk, smashing eggs and burying fresh produce into the ground.
As the two brainstormed for a project in an agriculture biology class, they came up with the perfect way to help farmers in San Luis Obispo County.
“We wanted to create something that shined a light on local farmers to help them get through the pandemic,” Zundel said. “So we created the website.”
Eating Local on the Central Coast, which launched in April, features farmers and businesses in San Luis Obispo County. Visitors can search the site to find out what farms near them sell berries, for instance, or flowers.
There’s also a tab to discover which farms offer deliveries, or whether a local farm will be at the next farmers’ market.
“In SLO County, there are a lot of farms,” Pan said. “But I think a lot of the time they can be overlooked. Not a lot of people have heard of all the farms that are in our area.”
Pan and Zundel, who are both 15, started their project as freshmen at San Luis Obispo High.
They began by reaching out via email and phone to about two dozen farmers and local businesses to ask if they would be interested in being featured online. Roughly half of the people the pair approached are now showcased on Eating Local on the Central Coast for free.
The students interviewed the farmers and businesses to learn about what they sell, how they sell it and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was astounded that (Pan) and her partner were able to pull it all together,” said one farmer, Trina Baumsteiger, who runs Templeton Valley Farms in Templeton.
Baumsteiger said “it goes without saying” that eating local is important. She added that produce straight from a local farm is “far superior” to the out-of-area offerings typically found at grocery stores — although she acknowledged that she’s biased.
Pan and Zundel hope that their website can encourage San Luis Obispo County residents to eat healthier and more sustainably by visiting local farms.
Though the pair already received a passing grade on their project, both agreed to continue developing the website as part of their chemistry and agriculture science class this school year.
Zundel and Pan, who are now sophomores, said they have dedicated a total of about 100 hours into creating and developing the website.
“This is really important to me because I really want to spread that awareness of healthy eating and encourage people to go to these farms, especially during this time when a lot of people are struggling,” Zundel said. “And now that things are reopening, I think people should take advantage of it and keep eating local.”
Farmers and local businesses who are interested in being featured on Eating Local on the Central Coast can fill out the form at the bottom of the homepage at EatingLocal.wixsite.com/home.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 1:02 PM.
