Agroecology Science and Practice: Market Farming and Community Gardening (Summer)

This is the second quarter of a spring-summer-fall program

In this full-time, hands-on program, students will learn how successful farms and community gardens can be highly productive, ecologically resilient, financially stable, and serve community needs while honoring traditional stewardship ethics along with experimentation and innovative practices. This is a year-round program located on the campus farm and gardens that centers student learning in seasonal activities across planning, budgeting, food production, scientific inquiry, marketing, and celebrating food cultures with the fruits of our labor. This program is suited for students who can dedicate at least 25 hours per week to on-campus program work that is team oriented, physically rigorous, and academically demanding. Gaining an introduction to all topics in this program description requires experiencing winter, spring, summer, and fall quarters. Eight upper division science credits can be earned per quarter for students who enter with introductory science coursework. Email faculty member Steve Scheuerell (scheuers@evergreen.edu) for a breakdown of emphases and credit equivalencies per quarter for upper division science or if you are unable to participate in a full program cycle.

Over three quarters, students will learn how to apply regenerative farm and garden practices based on the scientific underpinnings of Natural Resource Management, Agroecology, Soil Science, Agronomy, and Animal Science. We will focus on climate change adaptations through improvements to soil health, closed-loop nutrient cycles, water availability, energy use efficiency, crop-livestock interactions, polycultures, perennialization, and habitat for pollinators and conservation biological control. Production practices will be integrated with on-farm research to test innovations in polycultures, tillage, planting, irrigation, weed management, livestock integration, composting, variety trials and seed saving. Seasonal horticulture knowledge and skills will be learned by propagating, cultivating, pruning, and harvesting diverse vegetables, herbs, fruits, nuts, cut flowers, and nursery crops. Year-round and 3D production will emphasize the design and operation of greenhouses and season extension structures. Learning how livestock can support farm functions and product diversification will happen through beekeeping, vermicomposting, poultry rearing, and field trips to farms with large animal livestock. Students will learn about  Permaculture Design through focused workshops and projects that enhance bee and native pollinator habitat, livestock integration, food forests, mushroom production, water and energy systems, peer knowledge sharing, and the creation of covered gathering spaces to support learning circles and Food and Agriculture community events.

Farm planning, finances, and marketing are critical to maintain the campus farm’s operating budget, and students will learn these by being immersed in the iterative, annual cycle of analyzing production and market data, setting sales goals and operating budgets, crop planning, seed ordering, seeding schedules, market stand sales, and customer education. Community connections will also be built by collaborating across Food and Agriculture programs to complete field work, do tasting labs of farm produce, learn food preservation techniques, and enhance multi-media digital marketing and social media outreach for prospective students and Evergreen supporters.