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UW Farm: Unveiling the Outdoor Living Laboratory of Urban Agriculture at UW
By: Lluvia Chavez
The UW Farm is a 1.5-acre learning facility where students, regardless of their major, are welcome to explore sustainable urban agriculture. The origins of this farm are based on community efforts back in 2005. UW Farm Manager, Persis “Perry” Acworth says “It was a selection of Ph.D. students in biology who started it to be a place for discussion.” Now the farm is much more than that as it supports students through labs, capstone projects, and internships. It also feeds hungry students by sending 1,000's of pounds to the campus food pantry all year long. These education opportunities are offered through three UW Farm locations at the Center of Urban Horticulture, the Mercer Court, and McMahon Hall. All of which yield produce that is distributed to campus dining, the UW food pantry, a subscription-based weekly box to households (a CSA), and other community programs. Acworth enjoys seeing students from a variety of majors engage with the farm in their own unique way, “we are a place of experimentation and learning,” she says. At the UW Farm students can bond with like-minded individuals and create a sense of community in the outdoors.
UW Farm staff and volunteers washing and packaging kale on November 17, 2023. With the help of their team, the UW Farm supplies UW Housing and Food Services with fresh produce weekly. Before any produce is distributed to any UW farm partnering location, the volunteers thoroughly wash and package the vegetables.
UW Farm Inter, Alex Ball, and a volunteer inspecting the kale for insects after a successful harvest. Ball talks about his about how great his experience at the farm has been, “Just getting to see so many volunteers out here, getting excited about farming and just being around other people who are really excited about food, food systems, sustainable agriculture, and how important it is”
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Listen to Alex Ball’s experience as a returning intern and what he has learned since working at the farm.
Mara Tarino, left, and Eliza Weyman wash kale with a hose. Like many volunteers, Tarino and Weyan are Environmental studies majors who discovered the UW Farm through the CELE center as a way to become deeply involved in their community.
Volunteers at the UW Farm at the beginning of the shift clean bins for harvesting produce. The UW Farm participates in proper sanitary farming procedures, serving as an outdoor learning experience for students.
Eliza Weyman and Mara Tarino harvest kale. Weyman and Tarino describe the farm as an activity they look forward to, “I think the energy here is incredible. Really, really good. And if I'm feeling down, it's probably the dose of medicine I need to get outside, get some fresh air and be with people.” Tarino said.
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Listen to Eliza Weyman and Mara Tarino talk about their volunteering experience at the UW Farm.
Robert Bonglamphone, left, teaches Ruby Storey how to use a tilther, a tool that helps prepare the soil for seed germination. As the winter season approaches the volunteers and staff are working to prep and maintain soil health.
Student Volunteers using a garden hoe to tilling the soil. Remi Vrilakas, right, helped prepare the soil to plant beans and talked about how the UW Farm has guided her educational journey as an Environmental Studies major, “I found it beneficial because a lot of the stuff that we do on the farm connects to what I'm learning about in class. So it's like hands-on learning” she shared.
Eva Potter, left, and Sarah Doolattle measuring the garden line to plant bean seeds. Potter shared that by volunteering she can apply the knowledge from her Environmental Studies classes in a more social setting alongside a diverse community at UW.
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Listen to Ava Potter talk about the UW farm being a fun place for students, “people just come to the farm to kind of get away from school stuff.”
Volunteers at the Mercer Court location on Thursday, November 16, 2023. At the Mercer Court Planned Urban Farm, students can engage in urban farming practices in between the student apartment complexes.
Perry Acworth, UW Farm Manager, giving the volunteers instruction. Acworth has been the farm manager since April 2018 and has extensive experience in the farming and Environmental Studies field.
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Listen to Perry Acworth talk about the UW Farm’s commitment to the community.
Pablo Juarez, McKenna Anderson, and Mia Contreras take turns using the hose to clean in the shovels. Volunteers are usually at the farm for about 4 hours per shift but time flies due to the friendly nature and cooperation of the UW Farm team.
Perry Acworth helping Keilani Mamea lift the wheelbarrow full of weeds. Acworth feels like the farm is a safe space for students to experiment, “it's an outdoor living laboratory,” she says.
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Perry Acworth “We are a place of experimentation and learning….it's okay to make mistakes.”
Keilani Mamea, Elenor Devan, and Pablo Juarez weeding the Mercer Court Garden. Volunteers exchange jokes making friends with people who were once strangers.
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