Community Farm On Campus

1. Campus Community Farm. Volunteered for 4 hours.

Name of organizer: Nhu Tran

Email: Nhu.tran@email.edcc.edu

2.  Although there were no exact goals that we were given, there were plans to harvest some vegetables such as kale, rhubarb, etc… Personally, the goals seemed to be to clean and make the campus farm look more presentable; rid of weeds, moss, branches.

3. Since it was a very cold morning, we were supposed to harvest, but we were not able to since many of the plants and vegetables became frozen. Instead for the rest of the four hours I volunteered, I pulled weeds, cleaned up unwanted branches and leaves that were inside the pots, around them, or on the ground, cleaned up moss-like substance that were around the plants inside the greenhouse, cleaned some shrubs, cut raspberry branches and shortened them, wheelbarrowed and shoveled cold-frigid wood chips, and chopped some wood.

4. Even though the morning was freezing cold and made the experience a little miserable, I overall enjoyed working on the campus farm and would definitely do it again (hopefully on a more warmer day). Working with and for the community is something that can impact the surrounding society and that certain individual. In this service-learning experience, I realized that working outside and getting my hands and knees dirty in mud and wood chips was something that I actually enjoyed doing. Engaging in community service like this is beneficial for many people, especially the environment that the farm is in. If there was no one to help on the farms to clean, harvest, and do dirty work, the farm would be in shambles. In shambles, I mean that the plants would be overgrown, animals would start to over run and eat the vegetables and fruits that were meant to be harvested and there would be no room for growth for some plants. Service-learning allows people to learn how to work with simple tasks and work with people from different walks of life that can correspond in society during work, school, and at home. Personally, I believe that working outside and with other people within your community helps you understand a better idea of what’s going on around you and be able to grasp a lot more that happens in society; you are able to interact with others that can be beneficial in a way that help improve yourself intellectually and emotionally.

5. Helping in the community, especially on a campus farm opened my eyes a little bit more on how the cold weather can really affect plants and agriculture. While picking weeds, the student workers told us how not to pick at the plants because although they look like they’re dead- they’re really not and that’s because of the cold weather. Cold or warm weather, the atmosphere around us really does come into play with farming- this is where the majority of people get their food; supermarkets or farmers markets. When I travel from Seattle through the mountains and to Spokane or Wenatchee, I realize how different the geography and economy is between these major cities. While Spokane and the eastern region of Washington state is mostly wide and used for farming, Seattle region is all city and rarely any land of farming. Although weather plays a partial role in agriculture, there are only certain plants that are able to bloom and be grown in Seattle, while you can plant many things on the eastern side of Washington because of the hot weather and majority of land. Economy also comes into play; while Seattle is a developing city whose economy runs on technology and powerful businesses, Eastern Washington's economy runs on factories and farming- which brings a considerable amount of jobs as well. Biology plays a role as interdisciplinary in this situation because not only are plants and the impact that weather has on them important to the way of life, but the way that humans and animals are impacted by it as well. If all the crops and agriculture in our region here were affected by something major, the people would be affected as well and there would be major change to the adaptation for future generations to come. There are many examples today of how food, water, and necessary tools can affect how the population reacts. An example would be water crisis in Flint. This went to show how the people of that surrounding area had to adapt and take a role to survive in the environment; whether it was migrating or using other supplies to make their situation better. “Washington state is blessed with four key ingredients that make it an agricultural production powerhouse: a diverse climate, rich soil, abundant water and hard-working people” (Cargill 2016).

6. Although there is a protected area for some plants that keep warm and safe on the farm, what about the plant beds? 
-Is there something already made to put on top of the plant beds that can keep them well ventilated during situations like cold weather? A tarp?
-How can we make the campus farm a little better? More donations? More volunteers?
-Our group did a research experiment on different fertilizers and pesticide used on pill-bugs and how that affects their ability to live. Does the farm put any pesticide or fertilizer that would lessen the amount of insects and bugs infecting their plants?
-How do diseases amount plants start?

References:
https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/library/doclib/Cargill-Agriculture-The-cornerstone-of-Washington-s-economy-1.pdf

Trimming down raspberry trees
(Photo cred: Karley Quibilan)

Scraping off the moss-like substance off the dirt
(Photo cred: Karley Quibilan)