Growing sustainable produce is where our passion lies. Our 1/3-acre garden provides an educational model that addresses environmental, social, cultural, and economical issues that affect our contemporary food system. The mission of the Student Garden is to:
1. Create mentoring opportunities for students who want to learn practical farming and gardening skills.
2. Grow sustainable produce for the
University of Iowa Food Services and Iowa City community.
3. Provide and demonstrate sustainable food choices and lifestyle practices to all University of Iowa students.
4. Promote interdisciplinary cooperation between students, campus, and community organizations.
5. Serve as a resource for education and research for students, faculty, and staff of the University of Iowa. To ensure quality produce, we create an environment that is rooted in the principles of organic agriculture. Although we are not a certified organic garden, we grow our produce without the use of pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers. Our work provides an educational opportunity for several colleges and departments, and is directly linked to the academic and residential Green Adventures Living Learning Community, which aims to contextualize a diversity of environmental issues topics:
- Urban and regional food systems.
- Plant morphology, biochemistry, and physiology.
- Plant evolution and diversity.
- Applications in environmental engineering.
- Ecology.
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
- Culture and food diversity.
- Human diet and nutrition. The Student Garden is nestled off Hawkeye Park Rd, across from the Hawkeye Recreation Fields.
