A Piece of Eden

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A Piece of Eden

Spread out on two acres of rolling green Cal Poly land in between the rodeo arena and the dairy unit sits the Cal Poly Student Experimental Farm. From the outside looking in, the farm looks peaceful and quaint. But when inside the fence, it becomes clear that there is more than what meets the eye. The Cal Poly Student Experimental Farm is more complex than it seems. With vermicular bins, composting areas, raised agricultural beds growing on newspaper pages, and straw and mud dwellings, the farm is a bustling organic and agriculturally sustainable piece of land. The location of the land is unique as well. When searching for a home for the farm, the founders craved a challenge. In the location they chose, the founders acquired what they wanted. The farm sits in a partof the Cal Poly valley that acts as a wind tunnel. The founders knew it would be a challenge to grow crops in such a windy area, but after working all over the world establishing farms for the Peace Corps, they knew they could succeed.

The Cal Poly Experimental farm was established in 1989 as a way to educate

students and the public about sustainable agriculture and to provide organic fruits

and vegetables to the community. This method of farming is called community supported

agriculture. Produce grown at the farm is sold directly to the community, eliminating the “middle man” as Hunter Francis put it. Mr. Francis is the program coordinator of the

farm. Sustainable agriculture is a way of growing crops using no fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides so the land is kept as close to its natural state as possible. Organic farming is the main way to sustain the land while simultaneously being produ...

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Earth Science major utilize environmental methods to improve and sustain land and water

resources. They focus their teaching on minimizing human impact as much as possible on

the land while still being productive. Organic farming may use fewer resources and

utilize every aspect of the land and the crops it produces, but it would not work on a

large scale commercial farm.

The question of whether organic farming is better than conventional farming

depends on who you talk to. Each method has its pros and cons. Here at Cal Poly, the

main farming technique is conventional because it has been the most productive and

economical in the past. But if organic farming is given the same chance as

conventional farming has been given to be productive on a large scale, Cal Poly may shift to more sustainable methods of farming in the future.

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