The community garden project being put forward by the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) is a great move for students, and Carleton should look into supporting more projects like it.
The university did a great thing in giving the GSA the land that will be used for the garden instead of renting it to the GSA at a cost, as the project will benefit students in many different ways. Some of the food grown will benefit students that rely on the food centre. These students will now be able to get food that is not only local, but grown right on campus. It is the ultimate in sustainable agriculture.
The garden is an important lesson in food sovereignty. There is a big disconnect between people and their food — most people will never know where their food was grown. When you go to the supermarket or restaurant you’re eating food that somebody had to grow and care for. The garden lets students see where their food comes from and exactly how much work goes into maintaining even a small patch.
There are also benefits for the students that will be working the garden, as it can provide a therapeutic out for stressful days.
This program has incredible potential. The food could be sold to restaurants and places at Carleton, so that students have dining options that include locally- and sustainably-grown food. Other universities are already doing this. For example, the University of British Columbia has a farm that sells some of its food to locations at the university. The community garden at Carleton presents an incredible opportunity to do the same.
