Community Partnerships

Objective

Increase community (student) awareness of and involvement at the Sustainable Agriculture Project

Goals

  1. Make community garden boxes more accessible to students with physical disabilities.

  2. Include incorporation of a visit to or assignment involving the SAP in the general education program.

  3. Have volunteers build frost boxes/covers to extend growing season.

  4. Reserve community garden boxes for students who move in at end of summer, possibly build more boxes to accommodate this change.

Increasing Accessibility

The SAP already has two ADA accessible garden beds but not a walkway that makes them accessible. Below is an image displaying a possible installation plan for wooden or plastic boardwalks to increase mobility around the SAP grounds as well as adding two more ADA accessible beds and placing them near the already paved parking lot.

Prototype 1: ADA Accessibility

Prototype 2: Incorporation into General Education Program

Incorporating projects regarding the SAP into general education courses could increase both awareness of the SAP and student involvement. Projects could be implemented in courses that seem relevant to sustainability and agriculture in the following areas within the general education program: sustainability and globalization issues and foundations courses.

Projects involving the SAP could also be implemented in relevant entry level BIO, NRM, and ENS courses to improve student involvement and awareness.

Prototype 3: Extend Community Garden Access and Growing Season

Inclusion of a project that concerns the SAP, or a visit to the SAP, in the general education program could potentially increase community involvement. More community involvement could increase the amount of volunteers, making it possible to build cold frames/covers so that the growing season for the community garden boxes could be extended

Conclusion

Increasing awareness and involvement at the SAP may also increase the number of applicants for community garden plots, but with more volunteers, more boxes could be built. It could be beneficial to reserve some of the community garden boxes for students who move to/around campus in August. Students moving to campus in August would still have a fair growing season if the boxes have cold frames.

COVID-19 safety should be included in the planning, perhaps maintaining a schedule for when certain community garden members can visit to reduce traffic.

Contact Information

Masie McElroy - NRM major and ENS minor: mcelrmas@mail.gvsu.edu

Jerra Woznick - NRM major and ENS minor: woznickj@mail.gvsu.edu

Parker Sovinski - ENS major: sovinskp@mail.gvsu.edu

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