Student Directed Organic Farms as a Teaching Tool for Sustainable Farming

The number of university or college student farms has increased dramatically during the last 20 years with about one-third of the 300 leading universities/colleges in the United States having some type of student-operated farm.  Due to overwhelming student interest, these farms have grown and flourished with new BS, MS, and PhD programs quickly being developed in disciplines such as agroecology, sustainable farming, organic agriculture, and local food systems to meet the demand for a curriculum that addresses modern local agriculture-based food systems.  The benefits of these farms are enormous and provide not only a hands-on agricultural education to students, but also provide locally grown produce to campus dining facilities, the community, and local food kitchens, and a place for food waste recycling, farm tours, sustainable/organic research, and outreach to farmers and local gardeners.  At the Southern Illinois University Center for Sustainable Farming, we are in the fifth year of managing a student-organic farm. The farm has grown to almost a hectare with student involvement increasing from less than 5 students to about 20 in either paid, class credit, or volunteer positions.  These students come from several university departments, across many different disciplines and are united in their desire to grow healthy, nutritious food.  As the worlds’ population increases and farming is further consolidated into the hands of a few, sustainability must involve the teaching of others to grow food for themselves, their neighborhood, and community.  Student directed and operated farms offer a place for learning and gaining food production skills, enhancing concepts from classrooms, gaining problem solving skills, and building work ethic, and hopefully, the knowledge to help feed our future.