BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE STUDENT FARM AT OHIO UNIVERSITY

The overarching goal of this capacity building grant is to enable Ohio University (OHIO) faculty to focus on design and delivery of quality instruction and perform research, rather than manage the OHIO Student Farm's operations. By investing in the Farm's operations through strategic expenditures by hiring a seasonal manager (See objectives 1 & 2), this grant will enhance OHIO's educational mission (See objectives 3 & 4). This grant will also support OHIO's sustainability and experiential teaching missions and metrics (Objectives 5 and 6) through collaboration and support from the Russ College of Engineering, the OHIO Center for Campus and Community Engagement, the OHIO Office of Sustainability, and the OHIO Experiential Learning Hub. Moreover, and in addition to its core educational mission, strategic investment by USDA in the Farm and its community partners supports OHIO to more fully address the challenges of producing food sustainably, improving food security, and reducing the miles a meal travels to reach its students.In order to build the farm's capacity to feed, educate, and foster community outreach and connections we propose an integrated approach focusing on education and outreach to:Develop a farm management plan that efficiently and sustainably increases production at the OHIO Student Farm.Define the Farm managers responsibilities then advertise, interview and hire a summer farm manager to implement the management plan (goal 1) and coordinate student interns on the Farm.Engage OHIO engineering students in sustainability at the Farm by designing and building a solar array to bring electricity to the Farm enabling an energy efficient cooler to keep produce fresh after harvests.Create food and agriculture curricula focused on sustainable agriculture and organic practices. Transition the farm towards organic certification. Develop a new course focused on organic agriculture.Deliver experiential and applied learning at the Farm through paid internships to educate high school and college interns about local food systems and train future farmers.Establish the Farm as a focal venue to foster outreach, leverage the Farm to engage with local farmers and provide focused peer to peer training to grow their businesses.