Students learn entrepreneurship by growing, harvesting and selling sweet potatoes

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Students from southwest Fresno are learning entrepreneurship through sweet potatoes.

Students in the Sweet Potato Project two have prepared the soil, planted and watered sweet potatoes.

On Saturday, morning the students were getting their hands dirty to harvest the sweet potatoes and prepare to sell them.

A representative from Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula's office handed out special honors and Congressman Jim Costa spoke directly to the students.

Organizers say the program aims to keep kids out of gangs and away from drugs and alcohol.

"The kids have progressed tremendously, from coming here shy, to now they're, you can see they're out in the field," project assistant Ben Britton Jr. says. "Teamwork, building, things of that sort -- they came a long way.

Kids will be focused on using the sweet potatoes they grew to create different food items.

Organizers say students are making churros, mini cakes and pies.

They will sell them at a Sweet Potato Festival scheduled for November 12th.