This funding inquiry seeks to support a five-acre production-research site adjacent to the Sustainable Student Farm for the purposes of (1) producing food for the campus dining halls, (2) studying perennial polyculture production, also known as permaculture or agroforestry, and (3) increasing the availability of student education around sustainable agriculture on our campus. Permaculture, or agroforestry, is an agricultural model that employs polycultures of woody, perennial plants that mimic the structure and function of a natural ecosystem. In other words, this is a system that has multiple tree and shrub species that return year after year, very similar to the Oak Savanna that occupied our area before settlers arrived. This request seeks funding for personnel, equipment, and supplies that pursue the three goals listed above.

This proposal represents a unique opportunity to increase the size of the SSF and the proportion of locally produced campus food while taking advantage of a significant investment that is already in the ground. Without SSC funding, the PP Site will undoubtedly continue to exist on campus, funded primarily by outside research funding. However, these funds will only fund research. Without SSC funding, the PP Site would not have the capacity to involve students, provide food to Dining Services, engage classes, or outreach to the community. Without SSC funding, the potential to turn this new, unique site into a collaborative, interdisciplinary project that supports campus sustainability, novel research, and new education opportunities would give way to the standard model of an isolated research site known to a select few professors and graduate students