Service-learning: campus community farm

Service Learning: Campus Community Farm Workparty!

Figure 1. landscape of the community farm after all the vegetables(mostly) has been harvested.

For my Service Learning assignment, I have decided to volunteer at the EDCC community farm from 8:00am until 10:25am. This service was kindly hosted by Sofia Grajal-Puche(sofia.grajal-puche@edmail.edcc.edu), whom assigned us tasks to complete all around the farm. The duties that were assigned to my group are spreading gravel to cover up the muddy side of the farm, cutting up logs, and built a "wooden" board for a giant tree log.

 

As I began to observe the campus farm, I came to realization that it's more than just growing fresh edible produce. The campus community farm is considered organic agriculture, which means they offer an ecological balance between growing fresh produce and sustaining a healthy soil. It starts with how they can come up with a way to optimize growing quality crops while keeping sustainability for all species and the ecosystem. The root before any planting occurs is to determine the climate and what would be the best seeds to grow. Then they come up with the best approach to grow crops with all organic fertilizers like animal manure, compost. By growing plants and crops it can help sustain our way of living due to process of photosynthesis that plants goes through. We understand that plants absorb carbon dioxide and releases oxygen. At the campus farm, they have a green house built for crops that can harvest all year round. Green house were built in order to achieve a controlled environment and keep heat in while keeping pest away. All these mentioned above are important roles of this service that has a big impact on science in society.

In addition, this experience has offered me to have a better understanding of animals habitat. As an organic agriculture farm, it has a very healthy soil for insects to habitat and go through natural selection and fitness. It is beneficial to both plants and insects. Insects like; pill-bugs helps consume toxic minerals to soil and would eventually become fertilizers to the plants or crops. On the other hand flowers would attract bees or insects to pollinate. The absence of chemical used can help fertility rate of the soil to increases, which become a more healthier gene pool. With that being said, the diversity of animals and crops present can help maximize the nutrients and energy cycling for agricultural production. The diversity of animals cultivating the area can increase water infiltration which will reduce groundwater pollution from synthetic fertilizer or pesticides.

Questions

When does the actual planting seeds occur considering the climate here in WA?

How long did it take to have a sustainable organic soil that's healthy enough for crops to grow?

Can any of these vegetables crossbreed?

What are the best crops to grow during winter season?