Planting More than Just Veggies: Student-Created Plans for a Sustainable Urban Farm

We present a non-formal learning experience between Kean University students and Groundwork Elizabeth that draws upon the ecologically renewing and civically engaging mission of renewable agriculture. Under increasing urbanization pressure in the New York Metropolitan Area, Groundwork Elizabeth emerged as a nonprofit organization dedicated to address challenges of food security and environmental degradation. During the spring of 2015, 17 students in the School of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences at Kean University created a plan for the design and management of the Liberty Hall Farm, which Groundwork Elizabeth manages. The capstone students worked on six projects that were proposed by the Groundwork Elizabeth: 1) permaculture design, 2) water management, 3) soil management, 4) a medicinal plant garden design and implementation, 5) an online farm records tracking system, and 6) education curricula for primary and secondary schools visiting the farm. A summary of these actions and the project outcomes are presented.