Many students have heard of the Dartmouth Organic Farm, but the property is underutilized. Although classes in environmental studies, such as “Ecological Agriculture,” use the property, a wide range of classes and student activities could take advantage of the farm as well. While the Outdoor Programs Office could certainly do more to promote student involvement in and awareness of the farm, departments other than environmental studies must consider how their classes might benefit from its resources. Additionally, increased usage of the farm will educate students about local and sustainable agriculture.
One example of how a class outside of the environmental studies department might use the organic farm is Studio Art 65, or “Architecture I,” which I took last fall. We went to the farm, surveyed parts of the land and designed architectural projects for ways to improve the farm. Students in the class came up with ideas ranging from a waterside amphitheater to an ice house. Traveling to the farm made the class more varied and interesting than time spent inside studying lecture slides or learning to use new software. There are many non-traditional ways in which even more classes could use the farm, and professors should take advantage of them.
The farm is a sprawling resource that can be used to educate students not only in environmental and agriculture practice and policy, but also in business and design (as was the case in my architecture class). Moreover, it is more efficient for the College to take advantage of already existing resources such as the organic farm, rather than try to create new resources on the same scale from scratch.
For example, the organic farm has a sugar house where people can make maple syrup each spring. After talking to both people involved with the farm and those who have taken the ecological agriculture course, the consensus is that the sugar house has not been used to its full potential for several years. It is surprising that more maple syrup production has not been done on the farm, since Vermont and New Hampshire are known for producing some of the best maple syrup in the world. Students are likely interested in learning how to create one of the products that defines this area of the country. Classes revolving around local industry, business and agriculture should incorporate syrup production into their curricula. This would be more engaging for students who all too often sit in class after class of PowerPoint presentations, while also reinvigorating the ignored sugar house.
Funding does not seem to be an issue. The College has shown its generous financial support of the farm on numerous occasions. In 2012, the College invested in a new barn, able to function as both a classroom and study space on the property. The updated property also has several greenhouses and a vast amount of tillable land adjacent to the Connecticut River, perfect for those interested in gardening or organic farming. The College is clearly willing to support the property. However, more departments must incorporate the farm in order for it to reach its full potential of having an array of students use it for multiple educational purposes.
Finally, the farm is also an important resource for the very reason it exists — to produce organic and local food. Many people are unaware that organic foods in supermarkets are often sourced from thousands of miles away. Though such food is organic, it is far from sustainable. When classes use the organic farm for whatever reason, students will in turn learn more about the benefits of local and sustainable agriculture.
I do not think it is fair to say that student interest in environmentally friendly agriculture has dwindled or does not exist. Students are not uninterested in the organic farm — instead, they are largely unaware of the opportunities available. The Dartmouth Organic Farm should actively reach out to all corners of campus, and more classes should find ways to creatively include its resources in their curricula.
