Brown students might soon be able to get hands-on farming experience - last semester, the Sustainable Food Initiative devised a plan that will integrate local food and sustainable agriculture into student life by creating an on-campus, student-run farm.
"The idea of this farm is not a new one," said David Schwartz '09, one of the farm's organizers.
Inspiration for the idea came from previous sustainable food projects, recent senior theses and an on-campus farm at Yale that serves as a model for this type of project, according to members of the initiative who founded the student farm project.
The project gained administrative support last fall when Zak Stone '09 mentioned the idea to President Ruth Simmons at a barbecue held at her home. Simmons loved the idea, initiative members said, and passed it on to Russell Carey '91 MA'06, interim vice president for campus life and student services.
Carey negotiated with student coordinators and Facilities Management administrators to determine a plot of land that would suit the needs of both the project and the University.
Toward the end of last semester, the project began to focus on a 4,000-square-foot plot on Waterman Street that would lie along the Walk, the planned pathway that will link Lincoln Field with the Pembroke campus.
Carey said the site is still "tentative" and that project coordinators are continuing to finalize plans.
"They're now working directly with the grounds superintendent and really trying to put a greater level of detail around the funding and resource needs, and I think that will happen over the next several weeks," Carey said.
"At this point, it seems like everyone wants this to happen," Schwartz said. "It's just a matter of coordinating between the various administrative offices and fundraising."
Schwartz said he hopes to have the site ready by the end of the semester, but he noted there is some flexibility in the project timeline since the bulk of the harvest won't be until the fall.
The farm will be run entirely by student volunteers whose level of involvement will likely vary. "The point is to get as many students involved as possible," said Michael Glassman '09.
Founders of the project envision that the farm will have significant effects. Schwartz said the project will change the campus culture and the way Brown students think about food and where it comes from.
Ben Mandelkern '09 emphasized the importance of the project's educational component and said organizers hope to incorporate the farm into academic life through independent study projects and existing courses that deal with relevant subject matter.
"Grounding theoretical concepts on Brown's campus will teach students that it is feasible to apply course content to help improve the community in which they live," the farm proposal states.
The project has gained the support of several faculty members, and its coordinators have already begun to discuss possibilities for collaboration.
The idea for an on-campus farm has also received an enthusiastic response from students. In a recent MyCourses poll conducted by the Undergraduate Council of Students last semester and cited in the students' proposal, 81 percent of students surveyed supported the establishment of a campus farm, and 24 percent expressed an interest in becoming personally involved in its operation.
Glassman said he was amazed at the results of the poll. "It shows that there's enormous demand for this."
The project is consistent with many of the priorities of the University and the local community, Carey said, but the most important factor in determining its outcome will be the students. "Its success and staying power will depend largely on continued student interest," he said.
In the coming months, project coordinators will work to confirm a location, finalize a budget, secure funds and gather additional support. "It's going to happen, and we're committed to it happening - the question is how soon and on what scale," Glassman said.
