Project Description
As a senior studying Conservation with a focus on agroecology and rural development, I would like to incorporate the knowledge I have acquired from the past several years of classes on environmental justice as well as conversations from within the agroecology community on campus. 1. Garden for Ohlone foods and other Bay Area/Northern California indigenous foods would be added to the North American section. 2. There are various agroecological methods that could be replicated on a smaller scale within the garden as a display, including intercropping, no-till, polyculture, and composting. 3. If possible and culturally appropriate we would like to acquire seeds from seed saving organizations in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador to help with the conservation effort and display the kinds of diversity that can be achieved through indigenous agricultural systems. 4. We currently have a display of the three sisters, a classic example of traditional intercropping between corn, squash and beans. This will be kept and refined in the next season. 5. Pollinator education: We are considering putting a bee box in the crop garden to supplement education on the importance of pollinators and the threat to honeybees posed by anthropogenic activities.