The Role of University Food Gardens in Higher Education Sustainability

1. The Role of University Food Gardens in Higher Education Sustainability Sydney Klein April 3, 2014

2. Community Gardens • “An environmental intervention that is collectively created and sustained by community members.” (Hale et al. 2011) • Gardens are reactionary • Benefits: • Health (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) • Social • Community Building • Civic engagement • Educational • “eco-literacy” • Sustainability • Indirect • Direct *What about on university campuses?

3. University Food Gardens and Higher Education Sustainability • Call for “Sustainable” Higher Education • Need for sustainability curriculum • Interdisciplinary • Hands-on • Involves research • Incorporated into all systems of institution • Institutional Constraints • Rigid traditional structure • Different Perceptions of “sustainable” • Private funding of research • How do universities become sustainable?: • Series of incremental and systematic changes • Strong leadership • Networking • Collaboration between small initiatives • Campus food gardens

4. Research Questions: • What are the demographic characteristics of university food gardens? • Do university gardens serve as sites for informal and formal education? • What obstacles and benefits occur within university food gardens? • What factors affect the resilience of university food garden initiatives?

5. Methods • Mixed-Methods • Email Survey • Campus garden managers • Closed and open-ended questions • Total of 194 Potential Schools • AASHE • Total Return Rate: N=52 (27%) • Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis • Descriptive statistics • Qualitative coding

7. Findings: RQ1 (Demographics) • Strong variability • Young • Average Size <1 acre • Practice sustainable agriculture • Student and Faculty have strong role • Initiation • Management • Participation • Diverse uses and participation • Focuses: • Sustainability • Environmental studies • Agricultural education • Diverse marketing and advertising • Heavily reliant on one funding source (69%) • Within university

8. FindingsRQ2: Formal Education • Quantitative Data • 81% sites utilized as formal teaching sites • 46% supplement classroom learning • 62% offer workshops • 43% conduct academic research • Focuses: • Sustainability • Environmental studies • Qualitative data

9. FindingsRQ2: Informal Education • Quantitative Data • Knowledge outside of a specific discipline • “Eco-Literacy” • 76% offer tours • Qualitative Data • Individual skills • Experiential Education

10. FindingsRQ3: Benefits

11. FindingsRQ3: Obstacles

12. FindingsRQ 4: Garden Resilience

13. Recommendations • Institutional Support • Inclusion into long-term plans • For on-campus location • Secured Infrastructure • Consistent Funding Source • Full-time manager (with agricultural experience) • Greater Faculty and Administrative Participation *Must assert value of sites (record keeping)

14. Recommendations • Increase Participation/Maintain Consistent Participation • Include more academic disciplines • Continual advertising • Collaborate with student groups • Enhance student leadership opportunities • Internships • Training Programs • Include broader community • Markets • Workshops

15. Recommendations • Networking and Diversification • Diversify funding (increases networking and reliability of funding) • Seek out partnerships within university and outside community • All levels • Strengthens initiative • Amplifies provision of benefits • Increases participation

16. Conclusion • University food gardens enhance the overall sustainability of their institution • Though obstacles exist, they are not perceived as limiting factors • Strong institutional support, active participation, and networking create resilient gardens

17. Questions?? Photo Credits: Dania Laubach