Hands-on Learning at the GCUOF

The Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming (GCUOF) is a 1 hectare learning facility established at the Arboretum of the University of Guelph to complement the academic B.Sc.(Agr) Major in Organic Agriculture. The mandate is to offer hands-on learning in organic market gardening, urban agriculture, resource conservation, and a suite of other life skills central to food security and safety in a resource-limited era. Because it is run as a commercial urban market garden, students learn not simply how to produce food in an ecologically sound manner, but specifically to do this both for themselves and as commercial market gardeners in the urban and peri-urban area.

Opportunities to learn are almost endless.

• The Volunteer Program enables people to spend an hour or two pulling weeds, making compost, saving seed, or any of the many other tasks underway.

• An academic course may schedule a lab or two on-site, whether to assess Vitamin C content of fresh and stored carrots or to monitor water retention under a straw mulch.

• Class projects centering on eating sustainably may challenge students to apply what they have learned in class.

• Students may undertake research and experiential courses at the GCUOF, allowing them to explore both biophysical and social issues of direct interest to them.

• More advanced students may serve as mentors for younger students, including children from the CCLC or visiting primary or secondary school students, thus imparting their insight and experience to the next generation.

And the projects are of value not only students or classes, because their findings are posted here at the organics@guelph website, for all to benefit. Mounting work done by Guelph students at the GCUOF website can inform and strengthen the broader community.