Matt Brown

6-09-07

Marx

English 145

Seeds and Possibilities: Expanding Sustainable Agriculture Operations at Cal Poly:

Walking through the gates of the Organic Farm I stand overlooking one of the most promising areas on campus. Small plots of tomatoes grow delicately in the sun, chickens with feathers as wild as fire sit perched in their coup, and a pond in the distance seems to call my name like a parent calls a child. Deogi the farm’s cat brushes up against my leg as if to say, “what took you so long?” The Organic Farm results from the culmination of nearly twenty years of commitment from students similar to myself, and as sustainability ascends as one of Cal Poly’s priorities, the farm can become even more impressive. Since the establishment of the first Student Experimental Farm (SEF) in 1989 pioneered by former Peace Corps volunteers, the site has continually increased its facilities, evolving into today’s Organic Farm. With the creation of the Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium (SARC) in 2000, our university houses the principal organizational and physical infrastructures necessary for cultivating large-scale sustainable agriculture operations. Cal Poly sits poised on the opportunity to become a leader in sustainable agricultural research and education by funding the implementation of programs designed to educate a new generation of scholars, farmers, activists, and policy makers. Cal Poly and the Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium can harness the Organic Farm’s untapped potential by offering new hands on training opportunities, developing a new sustainable agriculture minor, and forging university partnerships focused on enhancing sustainable agriculture programs.

One training program that has proven successful at U.C. Santa Cruz is a local and international student apprenticeship program centered on the development of sustainable food systems. U.C. Santa Cruz’s Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture, at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, “provides training in the concepts and practices of organic gardening and small-scale farming.”(CASFS) An Apprenticeship at The Cal Poly Organic Farm would focus on sustainability with training ranging from sustainable farming practices, to establishing solar showers and electricity. In addition to providing local and international students with a unique learning environment, the program will promote cultural awareness and campus diversity. Dr. Ramon Leon, director of SARC’s International Program, is currently working on re-establishing the exchange with Earth University in Costa Rica that ended after 9-11. The program is almost independent of SARC, headed by the International Education and Programs office; however, if a sustainable agriculture based exchange program is to be effective, SARC will need greater influence in the exchange making an apprenticeship program an attractive option. Dr. Leon hopes developing an exchange program will educate international students about sustainable agriculture practices in the context of rural community development. A six-month apprenticeship program at the Organic Farm will not only fulfill his goal, it will also establish the “two-way information and talent exchange between local and foreign participants” he envisions as well. (SARC).

The creation of an apprenticeship program opens an enormous realm of possibilities including an internship specifically for Cal Poly students. Undergraduates interested in sustainable agriculture could participate in internships contributing to Organic Farm Operations for a several month period while receiving credit towards their major or the Sustainable Agriculture Minor discussed below. The internship, unlike the apprenticeship program would not involve residing on the Organic Farm and would demand between four and eight hours a week. Students would apply for the internship, and once admitted, fulfill specific curricular goals. In addition to gaining their own sustainable agriculture education, interns would be particularly suited to help educate the next generation of scholars by leading elementary school field trips on the Organic Farm. Such a program would not only serve the San Luis Obispo school systems, but also enhance Cal Poly’s character in the eyes of the community.

The internship is another example set by U.C. Santa Cruz’s Center for Agro-ecology and Sustainable Food Systems; our university should follow suit. The center has strong community ties working with local growers as well as elementary and middle schools. Farm interns, living offsite, lead tours centered on educating youth about sustainable agriculture practices, horticulture, and environmental conservation. In addition, interns also assist the student residents involved in the apprenticeship program. According to Elena Garcia, a former CASFS intern, “The program provided me with an incredible education spanning the proper care of carnivorous plants to the importance of composting.” Garcia went on to say, “My work with the Santa Cruz youth was extremely rewarding as I watched the overwhelming positive responses from the kids.” The benefits of such a program in the San Luis Obispo area are equally as valuable and appealing.

In addition to world-class apprenticeship and internship programs, the funding of SARC can expand the educational offerings of Cal Poly in the form of a new minor. With the establishment of the Organic Farm programs, Cal Poly will have all the necessary components to support the creation of a new Sustainable Agriculture Minor, focusing on relevant political, social, and technological issues surrounding this emerging field. Cal Poly already offers many relevant foundational classes including: ERSC 333 Human Impact on the Earth, ENVE 330 Environmental Quality Control, ENVE 542 Sustainable Environmental Engineering, EDES 406 Sustainable Environments, EDES 408 Implementing Sustainable Principles, and EDES 410 Advanced Implementation of Sustainable Principles. (Catalog) Apprenticeship and intern programs would complete the curriculum necessary for the minor to exist while simultaneously fulfilling Cal Poly’s “learn by doing” motto.

The benefits of funding of the Organic Farm and SARC are not limited to Cal Poly. Building partnerships with other American universities dedicated to sustainable agriculture would establish mutually beneficial relationships for both parties involved. U.C. Santa Cruz seems to be a premiere candidate having already established the CASFS and programs similar to those proposed in this paper. Furthermore, the proximity of Cal Poly’s land holdings to the Santa Cruz campus (12 miles) makes a joint venture even more attractive. (Marx) This cooperation transcends sustainable agriculture, starting up a promising relationship that can grow to serve all of Cal Poly. One possibility is a dual degree program playing to each institution’s respective strengths. For example together Cal Poly and U.C. Santa Cruz could offer a dual major in Agro-business and Environmental Studies, a nationally distinguished major at U.C. Santa Cruz that is merely a minor in the Cal Poly curriculum. The curricular implications of such a relationship go beyond undergraduate study and allude to the possibility of a joint P.Hd. program. A partnership will further distinguish Cal Poly within the CSU system and will surely precede the rumored establishment of an independent Polytechnic system complimenting the UC and CSU educational organizations.

SARC has the potential to greatly enhance the educational opportunities at Cal Poly, but before this potential can be realized, the Organic Farm will require more land and new facilities. Today, the farm is limited to eleven acres remaining in dire need of more land and attention. With over 10,000 acres of land, two of which are in Santa Cruz, Cal Poly is blessed as one of the largest landholders in the nation. (Marx) It seems only appropriate that Cal Poly utilize this land to create an educational environment unique to our school. However in the realm of sustainable agriculture our school’s program is plague by a lack of geographical resources. Less than fifty yards from the Organic farm, sits a pristine field used by Cal Poly’s tractor pull team as a practice area, polluting the air with noise, exhaust, and storms of dirt resembling the dust bowl. Not only is this a nuisance to the committed members of the Organic Farm, it is a conflicting message from a university who plasters its course catalog with “sus·tain'a·bil'i·ty” and boosts signing the Talloires Declaration. This land could be more effectively used as an expansion of the Organic farm and will be a necessity for the development of the programs proposed in this paper. In addition to more land, the Organic Farm will need a new solar building serving as a classroom, kitchen, SARC office, and apprenticeship-housing complex. If Cal Poly is as committed to sustainability as the university portrays itself, these improvements will be seriously considered in the coming years, as they are necessary to establish programs reflective of the university’s official stance on sustainability.

Together SARC and the Organic Farm are ideal candidates for additional funding that will markedly expand sustainable practices at Cal Poly. SARC has proven itself since its founding in 2000 with accomplishments such as grants, continual enlargement of operations, and numerous workshops on sustainable agriculture. The growth of SARC over the past seven years has yielded impressive results for the university deserving official recognition in the school’s budget. The Consortium has already started to contribute to the College of Agriculture curriculum with Organic Agriculture 315, Crop Science 202, and Crop Science 402. (Francis) With additional funding, SARC will guide Cal Poly’s Organic Farm in offering a world-class sustainable agriculture resource available nowhere else and support the university’s growing sustainability agenda.

Sources

Cal Poly Organic Farm. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2007, from http://calpolyorgfarm.com/sarc.shtml

Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2007, from U.C. Santa Cruz Web site: http://casfs.ucsc.edu/

Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2007, from http://www.calpoly.edu/~sarc/overview.htm

Carnahan, C. J. (1991, December). In Search of Sustainable Agriculture. California Polytechnic State University.

Francis, H. (2005). Establishment of SARC at Cal Poly. Unpublished master's thesis, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California.

Marx, S. (2002). Cal Poly Land: A Field Guide. Santa Maria, California: Accurate Color Printing.