Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Fruits: melons
- Vegetables: beans, broccoli, carrots, cucurbits, eggplant, garlic, greens (leafy), leeks, onions, peas (culinary), peppers, radishes (culinary), tomatoes, turnips
- Additional Plants: herbs
Practices
- Crop Production: crop rotation, cover crops, irrigation
- Education and Training: demonstration, youth education
- Soil Management: earthworms, soil analysis, organic matter
Proposal abstract:
In January 2011, the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP) will begin implementing curriculum through workshops starting in the classrooms of twenty-five freshmen high school students from Union and Central High Schools in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This curriculum will be based largely around the Towards a Sustainable Agriculture lessons developed by a prior SARE grant. In addition to this curriculum, the students will be responsible for planning, growing, transplanting, harvesting, and selling produce from an approximately 3,000 square foot herb and flower garden located at the SAP farm. They will additionally have opportunities to learn around the rest of the farm about cultivation, integrated pest management, soil fertility, irrigation, and a variety of other components of sustainable agriculture during their visits to the farm. During January – March, they will spend most of the time planning, learning, and reading in coordination with the Upward Bound TRIO program. During March – May, they will spend time in a local greenhouse beginning their transplants and planning their year. Finally, during May – July, they will physically be at both the farm and a local farmer’s market to sell their flowers and herbs. All of this will be done under the guidance of the SAP and TRIO staff.