Community Gardens
The university's community gardens are places where students, faculty and staff can grow fruits, vegetables and herbs. But more than that, gardens supported by the Faculty of ALES and other researchers are on the cutting edge of community-engaged research. This summer, check out one of these gardens to gain hands-on skills, propagate local knowledge, and take part in important climate and agricultural research.
Prairie Urban Farm
The Prairie Urban Farm was created by Dr. Debra Davidson to demonstrate and provide skill-building opportunities in urban agriculture and climate resiliency.
Edmonton Organic Growers Guild
The Edmonton Organic Growers Guild teaches year-round, climate-appropriate and organic growing techniques.
Stories
Embracing ‘citified’ agriculture means rethinking land use priorities
Community gardens, the feel-good darlings of the growing season, are great for raising awareness about sustainability—but they’re just scratching the surface of a much larger harvest, according to University of Alberta researcher Michael Granzow, who is studying the issue for a PhD in sociology.
City-driven projects, including vacant lots for gardens, beekeeping and backyard hens, along with other community gardens such as the U of A-based Prairie Urban Farm, where Granzow volunteers and serves as an adviser, are important to what is a much larger movement in reimagining what a city is and what it could be, he believes.
New South Campus garden grows conversation on food security
The Prairie Urban Farm–a one-and-a-half-acre mixed-crop garden on South Campus–was created by members of the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences who identified a gap in the university’s research and teaching on food security.
“The purpose of the farm is to motivate more food growing and food literacy amongst local people in the Edmonton area and beyond, and also to encourage all sorts of consumers in cities to play a more active role in their relationship to food,” said Debra Davidson, a director of the farm and a professor in the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology.
How to dig into sustainable food: six ways to put local fare onto your plate.
With its bounty of farmers’ markets and community gardens, the summer growing season offers fresh ways to connect with what’s on your plate—and at the same time, get a taste of sustainability.
Other Affiliated Community Gardens
Located on Campus Saint-Jean, le jardin communautaire/Campus Saint-Jean Community Garden sets a great example with its sustainable growing practices-volunteers use water responsibly, use organic waste from the student residence for compost and use organic fertilizer.
Sustain SU's Campus Community Garden is a volunteer-run, shared garden plot. This garden showcases pesticide-free, organic growing techniques.
The Green & Gold Community Garden is a two-acre garden on south campus produces more than 60 types of vegetables, herbs and flowers. All proceeds from this volunteer-run garden go to charity.
Located on Augustana Campus in Camrose, Alberta, the Augustana Community Garden gives student volunteers the opportunity to learn all about gardening. The garden's produce is donated to the Augustana cafeteria and the Augustana chapel's Tuesday night soup suppers.