Berkeley Student Farms

IMG_4707.JPG

Akila Ganapathi
Spring 2021

This semester, I had the opportunity to do my community partnership with the Berkeley Student Farms (specifically the Student Organic Garden Association). I worked on a community composting project in which we aimed to expand community composting operations at the student gardens. I was responsible for working with a team to regularly create new compost piles and maintain those piles by flipping them weekly. One of the goals of the project was to come up with a more scientific approach to conduct the composting so we tracked the weights of the inputs (food scraps brought by student volunteers, coffee grounds, wood shavings, etc.) going into each pile. Overall, I had a great experience working with the Berkeley Student Farms and overseeing the composting operations! This experience made me realize how valuable a closed-loop system of food production is and how we can minimize our food waste as individuals by composting. 

Berkeley Student Farms

Sana Khader
Spring 2021

This semester, volunteering at Berkeley Student Farms (BSF) became a peaceful part of my week. BSF is a coalition of seven campus garden spaces, all student-run. I spent most of my hours weeding, harvesting and planting at the Student Organic Garden on Northside. I loved getting to spend time with other students in-person, masked and six feet apart. The work felt significant to me, knowing that the produce harvested was going to the campus food pantry. I also helped design a few pages for the garden cookbook, featuring food grown in the garden. It was eye-opening to be part of an organization that ran horizontally — I always felt there was space for me and my ideas, and I appreciated this open structure.