Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Proposal
Establishment of Farm
· Resources
· Site
· Farm Advisory Board
· Board of Trustees
· Labor
· Materials/Equipment
Educational Programs
· Academic Programs
· Recreational Programs
· Community Outreach
Food Production
· Planting and Harvesting
· Production
Waste Recycling
· Composting
Build Model of Sustainability
· Promotion
4. Appendix
1) Farm Advisory Board
2) Resources
3) Suggested Timeline
4) Farm Management Plan
Guidelines, Border, Greenhouses, Crop Rotation,
Fertility Management, Harvesting, Pest Management
5) Budget
6) Site Reviews
7) Collegiate Organic Farm Research
Proposal for the Establishment of a Yale Organic Farm
Executive Summary:
We propose the establishment of a Yale Organic Farm on at least 1 acre in close proximity to the Yale campus. The farm will include facilities for four-season vegetable production, institutional composting, and indoor storage.
· Objectives:
1) To provide a valuable educational resource to Yale students, faculty, and staff;
2) To model the most economically, socially, and ecologically sustainable farming practices available to us, while preserving an integral part of the landscape and the local economy;
3) To serve as a resource and link to the greater New Haven community.
4) To provide members of the Yale community with locally and sustainably produced food of the highest quality imaginable;
5) To teach students in the dining halls, by serving food grown on the farm, perhaps even harvested by the students themselves, that eating is an agricultural act;
6) To provide Yale students, faculty, and staff with the opportunities to work on a farm and to learn the skills needed to produce food, experiencing its joys and challenges;
7) To compost Yale's organic waste, therefore reducing the University's disposal costs and creating a source of fertility for the Yale farm and other local farms;
8) To make Yale a model of urban organic agriculture and food system sustainability.
· Educational Programs:
1) The farm will be incorporated in the curricula of courses in Yale College.
2) Work-shops for Yale and New Haven community members will be held at
the farm.
3) Yale students will participate in farm work, both as volunteers and through a summer internship program.
4) The farm will provide innovative educational programs for New Haven children.
· Timeline for Establishment of the Farm:
1) Selection of an appropriate site by the Farm Advisory Committee in conjunction with Yale administrators;
2) Creation of a Board of Trustees to oversee planning and funding;
3) Hiring of a farm manager;
4) Acquisition of appropriate tools and materials;
5) Tilling and planting begins.
Introduction
"…eating is an agricultural act." -Wendell Berry
"To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves." -Gandhi
We all eat. We eat at the dinner table with our families, in the dining hall with our academic community, in restaurants, in the car, at the computer, in front of the TV, and on the phone. We eat Caesar salad, bagels and cream cheese, hamburgers, pesto pasta, chicken wings, and coffee ice cream. Although we have a vast array of foods available to us nearly all the time, we rarely stop to ponder where our food comes from, and the complex consequences resulting from the choices we make when we eat it.
When we look at a plate of food, we don't think about the thousands of miles it probably traveled to reach us. We don't think about the energy (probably fossil fuels emitting green-house gases) consumed in its transportation, or in its harvesting, processing, refrigeration, and packaging. We don't think about the chemicals and carcinogenic pesticides sprayed on the fields where our food was grown. Nor do we think about all the people and jobs involved from start to finish. Though it may not be obvious to the majority of people, eating a banana may contribute to global warming, a rise in the incidence of cancer, and the exploitation of the working class in Guatemala. In this rapidly dynamic world, it is of ultimate importance to think about the web of food production.
At Yale, students can find classes ranging from German philosophy to complex mathematics to Queer Studies. Some classes relevant to agriculture, such as soil science, plant biology, the history of agriculture and, most notably, the offerings of the Agrarian Studies program, do exist. Nowhere, however, is there a space or forum for one to simply learn how to grow one's own food. And, more importantly, students are given little encouragement to think critically about the way we as humans connect to and draw sustenance from our land through agriculture. A Yale farm would serve this purpose.
In a predominantly and increasingly urban world, we are losing the vital connection between humans and land, and along with it, simple joys—like the warmth of sun on one's back and the earth under one's bare feet, watching a plant grow over several months, and sensing a profound power in the creation of life, sustenance, and interconnectedness. There are deep lessons and pleasures that cannot be taught or conveyed in a classroom or in a textbook—they must be experienced firsthand. That is why the creation of a Yale farm is imperative.
New England has a rich agricultural history, dating back prior to European settlement. Yet, as the New Haven urban landscape grows in size, the number of working farms around the area is in steep decline. Although a farm may seem entirely new to Yale, the university was actually Connecticut's original Land Grant College. Thus, a Yale farm will recapture a piece of Yale's history. The creation of a Yale farm will also link other ongoing initiatives at Yale, such as the Sustainable Food Initiative at Berkeley, the institutional composting program, the ACEM initiative for the greening of the Yale campus, a successful farming conference that occurred in the spring of 2002 at Yale, and twelve years of the Agrarian Studies program with weekly colloquia. There are many other colleges in New England and the greater United States that have organic farms tied to their academic programs, and these will serve as useful models for the Yale farm. The development of a Yale farm will also be truly unique, as no other university has an organic farm, within an urban environment, that comprises an integral part of their food system. In an urban environment, where the link to the natural environment and agriculture is often the farthest removed, Yale will have an opportunity to act as a leader through the establishment of an effective model of sustainable urban agriculture.
1. Establishment of the Farm
Preliminary Requirements:
¨ Resources
There are many people and organizations that will be valuable resources for the development of a Yale Farm. Contacts have been made with several independent local organic farmers around New England who are willing to offer advice about small-scale farming. Scientists at the Connecticut Agricultural station (Appendix 2) in New Haven are also interested in working with the Yale farm on organic pest management and issues of compost application. Yale faculty members have also expressed interest in helping to set up the farm program and utilize it as a resource for their classes. Other collegiate organic farms (Appendix 7) have been researched and evaluated so that their experiences can guide the Yale farm.
¨ Site
In choosing a site for the Yale Farm, one of the major criteria for the land will be its proximity to the Yale campus—the closer the better, as a more accessible location will involve more students. Size is another important factor. The minimum amount of land required for the farm is an acre, while the ideal spot would be 15 acres. Since proximity to the campus is important, if only a small plot was available near the university, a larger plot may be acquired outside of New Haven for larger-scale production once the smaller farm has been well established. In order to ensure active student participation, the small plot near the university will be maintained as the visible face and organizational center of the farm. All the Yale land holdings near New Haven will be evaluated first to void significant purchasing fees. Yale alumni will also be solicited for land donations. The land quality will also be a determining factor in site selection; all the potential sites will be evaluated in terms of soil quality, sunlight, grade, water quality/availability, flood history and abutting land uses. Taking all these considerations into account, the Farm advisory board will select the most appropriate site (Appendix 6) for the Yale farm.
¨ Farm Advisory Board
Faculty and students have been chosen to advise the university about the initial formation of the farm (Appendix 1). Members have been selected based on their knowledge and interest in agrarian and environmental issues. Once the administration approves the proposal, the board will select the site for the farm and guide the farm through its initial construction. After the creation of the farm, the Advisory Board will be folded into the Board of Trustees.
¨ Board of Trustees
A Board of Trustees will be selected to set policy, produce strategic plans and monitor the farm's long-term progress. This board will have a broader range of members than the Farm Advisory Board in order to ensure that the farm will have close ties to all of the organizations and departments connected to the farm. It will be comprised of an academic advisor(s), a Yale administration officer(s), a business manager, a farm manager, student coordinator(s), dining hall representative(s), local farmer(s), and coordinators of educational programs that are working with the farm. The goal of the board will be to bring an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental perspective to decision making on the farm.
¨ Staff
The hired staff members will be responsible for the daily operations and maintenance of the farm and composting facility. A farm manager will be a full-time employee responsible for the crops and the composting facility. Due to the large number of students that will visit the farm, it is also important that the farm manager be a skilled teacher with interpersonal skills. A farm coordinator will be responsible for the administrative requirements and coordination of all education programs offered to both the Yale and New Haven communities. The bulk of the labor on the farm will be provided voluntarily by students and through a work-study program. During the summer, the farm will have a paid internship program offered to interested and qualified students.
¨ Materials/Equipment
The farm's material requirements will depend on its size and location. The most general inventory of supplies will include garden tools, a tractor (potentially fueled with bio-diesel, derived from dining hall waste), and seasonally purchased seeds, that will all be housed in a small storage shed on site. The farm will also include several low-cost greenhouses. Because there is such a wide variety of composting units that are suited for different locations, the best composting method will be chosen from a number of options after the specific site has been selected. The environmental sustainability of the farm will be emphasized through the green design of all buildings and the use of alternative energy sources. (Appendix 5)
2. Educational Programs
More than a mere food production center, the farm will enhance the educational and recreational opportunities of Yale students, and serve as a vital link to the New Haven community.
¨ Academic Programs
With the cooperation of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and interested undergraduate professors, the farm will serve as Yale's outdoor classroom, providing opportunities for research, scholarship, and hands-on learning in various academic disciplines. As a living ecosystem, the farm will be useful for the study of ecology. Also, it will serve as an outdoor scientific laboratory for research in plant and soil science. As a model of sustainable agricultural production and resource use, the farm will become a valuable learning center for students in environmental and agrarian studies and environmental engineering. As a micro-enterprise, the farm will be an excellent research subject for studies in economics and management. And following the popular axiom, 'Think globally, act locally,' the farm will enhance the study of globalization by demonstrating first-hand to students the fundamental challenges the human population faces in its struggle to survive off the land.
Several other academic departments will also benefit from the presence of the farm in more indirect ways. Students of anthropology will explore the cultural underpinnings of farming practices; historians will consider the long trajectory, extending back hundreds of years, of human engagement with New England's soil; psychologists will look at what happens in the mind when we connect with our food in a meaningful way; artists will find a beautiful and inviting outdoor studio; and philosophers and English majors will be able to follow Thoreau and contemplate the human relationship with nature. Finally, beyond these academic disciplines, all who come to the farm will leave with a better understanding of the philosophy and techniques of farming.
¨ Recreational Opportunities
In a poll conducted last year by the YCC, 370 students indicated that they would enjoy working on the Yale farm, and anyone who has worked the land knows that such work, though often grueling, can be extremely rewarding. Volunteers will be welcomed. The farm work will also be incorporated into Yale's work-study program, and several full-time interns will be given a modest stipend to work the farm during the summer months. Student groups like the Yale Student Environmental Coalition, Yale Outdoors, and Harvest will organize workdays and educational programs at the farm on weekends, and the farm will be open for festivals, picnics, and outdoor performances, making it an integral part of the Yale campus.
¨ Community Outreach
The farm will be an educational and recreational resource for the wider New Haven community as well, fostering constructive interaction between Yale and the city. Local elementary schools, as well as schools for children with special needs, will take field trips to the farm to learn about farming and participate in growing and harvesting activities. Also, a summer day-camp will offer children both an exciting way to learn about nature and where food comes from, as well as an opportunity to care for animals. On certain occasions, a small amount of the farm's produce will also be given to local public schools in order to provide healthy, enjoyable snacks for children. Moreover, through programs like Head Start and LEAP, Yale students interested in community service work will be able to bring local youth to the farm so they can experience a green space, learn about healthy living, and try their hands at growing and preparing food. Beyond the school system, local farmers will host workshops to teach local gardeners about ecological farming methods and to educate the community about the importance of a local, sustainable food system. Also, a few raised garden beds will be built to enable elderly community members to engage in gardening. All of these programs will provide meaningful volunteer opportunities for Yale students and create real benefits for the New Haven community
3. Food Production
¨ Planting and Harvesting
These goals call for a management plan that, rather than solely maximizing production, strives to maximize system health and educational viability. Long-term, sustainable heavy yields can only be the result of a healthy system. This calls for a method of managing soil fertility that addresses the notion of fertility, not as "plant food," but as the byproduct of a system well managed, through crop rotations, mulching, reduced tillage, and undersowing of green manures. By managing fertility in this way, the Yale Farm will not only produce healthy, nutritious, tasty and beautiful food, it will model how the production can occur, while enhancing, rather than destroying, the health of the local ecology. Pest management will also be seen as a byproduct of a system well managed. Ideally, pests are managed by growing healthy plants in healthy soil, amidst a diverse ecosystem. A system of inexpensive, energy efficient mobile greenhouses allows for winter production, while leaving room for diverse crop rotations. Hand harvesting and speedy delivery will allow us to grow crop varieties notable for flavor, rather than for mechanized harvest, ability to be shipped, and long shelf-life. Once the farm is well established, there will be the potential to increase the diversity of food produced by introducing animals for meat, dairy, and eggs into the farm's system. The abundance of compost afforded by the composting of Yale's organic waste will allow the Yale Farm to supply compost to local community gardens, and will create a fertile environment for Yale students and New Haven residents to interact both in the summer months and during the school year. The waste from dining halls that is currently being flushed into our water system will instead be used as a source of fertility that will grow healthy produce to be served in those same dining halls. (Appendix 4)
¨ Production
The Yale Farm will be managed to provide members of the Yale community with diverse, locally and sustainably produced food, of the highest quality imaginable. Simultaneously, it will provide Yale students, faculty and staff with the opportunity to work on a farm, to learn the joys and challenges of food production, and to learn the skills needed to produce food. By serving food grown on the farm in the dining halls, perhaps food that those dining had harvested themselves, the farm will help students to see that eating is an agricultural act.
Interested and motivated Yale students will also be granted their own plots, where they could take on the responsibility of growing their own garden. While Yale is not in session, the farm will serve as a resource to the greater New Haven community. Throughout the year, it will serve as a model of the most economically, socially, and ecologically sustainable farming practices available to us. (Appendix 4)
4. Waste Recycling
¨ Compost
Presently Yale grinds and flushes over 150 tons of food waste per year into the sewer system. The New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority fines Yale with a surcharge that totals over $140,000 per year. As Bill Idarola of the Water Pollution Control Authority stated, "Yale University is the center of higher education in Connecticut. They are also the center of water pollution stemming from institutional kitchens." The Water Pollution Control Authority says that this surcharge may double over the next two years. Yale also hauls over 120 tons of food waste to the incinerator in Wallingford. We send over 500 tons of laboratory bedding waste to the incinerator in Bridgeport and 65 tons of fall leaves are sent to a composting facility in West Haven. Yale pays to haul this waste, it pays to dump it, and in the case of the food waste sent down the drain, it pays a fine for polluting with it.
At present, New Haven is home to 60 community gardens. All of them are experiencing a compost shortage. In addition, New Haven's industrial heritage leaves the city's soil heavily contaminated with lead and other heavy metals; the most effective remedy for lead contamination is compost application. New Haven is in desperate need of composted organic matter. As stated above, Yale currently pays greatly to dispose of its organic waste, and we accomplish that disposal in an ecologically unsound manner. With relative ease, Yale can compost its organic waste at the Yale farm, supply the community and the farm with much needed compost, and save over 100,000 dollars a year.
Preferred composting practices vary with site characteristics. Generally speaking, the best method for composting organic waste in urban areas is the use of an In-Vessel Composter. These machines (essentially a truck container with a moving floor and augers) speed up the composting process, guarantee no odor, and have a small footprint. They require a greater capital commitment, but they tend to save money in labor, space and hauling (as they allow composting to take place closer to the pickup site). In more remote areas, where space is at less of a premium, and where residential homes do not abut the composting site, actively aerated static piles are the preferred method. These piles are built around inexpensive perforated tubing, through which air is forced, to guarantee aerobic decomposition (aerobic decomposition avoids odor problems, and decreases the time necessary for effective composting). Actively aerated static piles require less capital outlay, but call for more space, and a less densely populated area.
Yale's present waste disposal practices pose an ecologically and economically expensive problem. Yale can solve this problem and help the New Haven Community at the same time, through treating that organic matter not as waste, but as a valuable resource.
5. Build Model of Sustainability
With an exploding world population, the degradation of agricultural land, and a rise in environmental toxins, sustainable and organic agriculture is quickly becoming a hot issue with international focus. People are demanding food that is safe and healthy both for their bodies and for the environment. With the recent transition of the majority of the world's population to cities instead of rural areas, urban agriculture has gained new importance. Furthermore, urbanization has led to a disconnection between humans and the land, from which we draw everything we use to survive. By recognizing this vital connection between people and earth, as well as the creative role humans play in life cycles, Yale has the opportunity to restore and further develop these relationships on a micro-scale.
Food systems, like forests, are complex ecosystems, and their study is of great importance. Organic agricultural systems are unique ecosystems. Unlike large-scale, chemical-ridden monocropping, organic systems elevate environmental health—by harmonizing with ecologic and biologic cycles, promoting biodiversity, and eliminating polluting chemicals. This, in turn, leads to cleaner water supplies and building nutrient-rich soil. Goals in studying organic agroecology are wholly in line with the mission statement of the Forestry school, which reads, "[w]e create new knowledge in the science of sustainability and new methods of applying that knowledge to the challenge of environmental management, the restoration of degraded environments, and the pursuit of sustainable development."
At Yale, an Ivy League school wielding momentous influence, a farm will serve as a powerful model of sustainable resource production, utilization, and preservation—sending an ethical message to the world.
¨ Promotion
The farm is a great opportunity for positive Yale publicity. In order to make the farm a visible example for other institutions to follow, emphasis will be placed on publicizing the values, history, and successes of the farm. Within the Yale community, the farm will be shared through the courses which incorporate it into their curricula and the students who participate in its programs. Outside of the Yale community, news of the farm will be spread through articles in the journals and newspapers, talks given at other schools, and participation in agricultural conferences. As such, the farm will simultaneously serve as an integral component of the Yale food system and set the stage for further change at other institutions.
Sponsors
Faculty
James Axley, School of Architecture
Diana Balmori, School of Architecture
Kelly Brownell, Psychology
Kathryn Dudley, American Studies, Anthropology
Gordon Geballe, Associate Dean, Forestry and Environmental Studies
Mary Helen Goldsmith, MCDB, School of Forestry and Env. Studies
Stephen Kellert, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Daniel Kevles, History
Susan Mayne, School of Public Health
John Rogers, Master of Berkeley College
Gus Speth, Dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Steven Stoll, Environmental Studies, History, American Studies
John Wargo, DUS, Environmental Studies
Harvey Weiss, Anthropology, Near Eastern Lang/Civ, Env. Studies
Farmers
Bill Duesing, Director of NOFA-CT, Yale College class of '64
George Purtill, Old Maid's Farm, South Glastonbury, CT
Kim Stoner, Connecticut Department of Agriculture, New Haven
Agricultural Experiment Station, Hamden, CT
Northeast Organic Farming Association of CT Board of
Directors (NOFA-CT)
Community Members
Silvia Dorsey, Manager of New Haven Community Gardens
University Groups
The Yale Sustainable Food Project
Yale Dining Hall Service
Yale Student Environmental Coalition (YSEC)
Food From the Earth (FFE)
The Harvest Program
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Student Food
Interest Group (Food SIG)
Etc.
Alice Waters
Michael Poland
Carol Shennan, director of Agroecology program at UC Santa Cruz
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