Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Organic Agriculture & Academics?

Mis amigos de la CasaVerde,
As I think most of you know, I'll be away from Sewanee (& often the internet) until January. However, I wanted to get the ball rolling on the sustainable farming class, which will hopefully be offered next spring. While I can't be a part of the actual planning of the course (which needs to happen ASAP (this summer and early next fall), I thought I'd post a few examples of what other schools are doing. Let's make it happen.

Before we jump headlong into this class adventure, I think we (everyone involved) needs to do some serious thinking about why we are doing this as an academic endeavor (as opposed to extra-curricular, as it is now) and how this fits into our vision for the university. This could be awesome - not only do we have a exciting professors & community folks who could teach it, we also have the community set up with the GreenHouse. We could have class Friday afternoon (no conflicts this way...) and then maybe have (make?) dinner with the prof or whoever is teaching the class. Since so many people in the house have extensive experience with farming (both Kate & Laura are working on organic farms in Europe this summer, just to name a few), we should have students give guest lectures or something about what they learned or different ways of doing things. Just thinking out loud here....

Farming Classes

Organic Crop Production at Sterling's Sustainable Agriculture Semester
This is a summer program up at Sterling which looks absolutely amazing. Perhaps someone can get sewanee to pay for this next year...
In this course students study organic pest, disease, and weed management; the characteristics of soils and the practices necessary to maintain soil health; the selection and use of tools; and the application of that knowledge to the production of vegetables, grains, dry legumes, herbs, fruits, and fiber. Students come away with the practical skills necessary to plan and manage a small scale homestead or market garden. The course combines lecture, reading, and discussion with guided practice in Sterling College’s two acres of organic gardens and greenhouses, as well as many field trips to farms of varied production scales.
Richard Alsina Fulton Center for Sustainable Living
This program at Wilson College is, judging from what they have online, looks great. This could be a model for what Sewanee could do... They have a farm - managed by the "college farmer!" - ran by a center for sustainable living (anyone else reminded of the GreenHouse 5 Year Plan?), which which we could totally do as well (I mean we do have 13,000 acres, giver or take). Anyways, their classes:
Classes at the Fulton Farm
• Gardening for Fitness: Students cultivate the soil and raise their own produce and flower gardens from start to finish.  This course also qualifies for Physical Education credits!
• Low Input Sustainable Agriculture: This techniques class offers a survey of sustainable farming practices, including a hands-on component with composting, soil analysis, and cropping methods.
• Agroecology:  Exploring the science of ecology through the lens of agriculture, agroecology students study the organisms interacting within the farm ecosystem with the goal of understanding sustainable food production.
• Permaculture Design:  Permaculture teaches the principles of creating sustainable human settlements. This summer course has a strong hands-on component, wherein students construct a project to promote biodiversity and food production, as well as design their own permaculture homestead.
Local Sustainable Agriculture at Stanford
(this was originally the "lab" portion to a lecture class on sustainability... perhaps we could do this with ENST 200 or a similar class

Field-based training in ecologically sound agriculture practices at the Stanford Community Farm; guest lectures from Bay Area farmers, agricultural educators, and food policy advocates; and a field trip to an educational farm. Weekly fieldwork led by an instructor with extensive organic farming experience. Topics include bed preparation, starting seedlings, composting, irrigation techniques, and harvesting methods. May be repeated for credit.
Central Carolina Community College
Sustainable agriculture focuses on production that renews resources. The program is about more than environmental awareness. It is also about the farming community. Urban sprawl has inflated land prices and small farmers, unable to deal with rising taxes, diminished markets for traditional crops, and supply and equipment costs, are losing their farms.

The unique curriculum offered through the Sustainable Agriculture program has attracted students from throughout North Carolina, as well as many other states. The program provides both the small business and technical skills needed to develop and manage a profitable, environmentally sound and community-based small farm or agricultural business.
Students work with fellow classmates to plant, cultivate, and harvest a variety of produce. They learn to utilize a variety of tools and equipment, including tractors and tillers. Field trips, farm tours, and internships enhance the learning experience.
Let's explore this more. I think we could easily have one of the top programs in the country for sustainable living - Sewanee is perfect for it ... we're already on our way. Keep up the good work!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

i think the idea for a farming or gardening class sounds AMAZING!! who do we need to talk to for this class to actually happen?

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