About The Delta Garden Study

The Delta Garden Study is a $2 million research study funded by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service designed to prevent childhood obesity and social risk behaviors, and improve academic achievement, in middle school children in the Delta and Central regions of Arkansas.

Our project goals are :
1) To reduce childhood obesity in the state of Arkansas.
2) To decrease social risk behaviors in Middle Schoolers and to improve academic acheivement.
3) To support the Farm to School effort by helping to provide fresh, locally grown produce to schools.

It is the largest, and most scientifically rigorous, school garden research study in the nation, utilizing 10 intervention and 10 demographically pair-matched control schools in a quasi-experimental, nested, pair-matched design including 6-10 teachers per school and over 4,000 students. The primary outcome variables are increased fruit and vegetable intake and increased minutes of physical activity. Secondary variables include reduction in body mass index (BMI) and body fat, increased school bonding, reductions in absenteeism and fighting at school, and improved student grade point averages and benchmark testing scores. Each participating intervention school will receive a 1-acre garden and greenhouse, and study-funded Garden Manager for one full school year. The corresponding study-developed curriculum is aligned to the state educational frameworks for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade science, math, language arts, health, and P.E. The Delta Garden Study is a cooperative research project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), through the Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit. Additional information about this research unit can be found at www.ars.usda.gov.