This course investigates community and home- scale food production with a focus on farm design, intensive mini-farming, permaculture, and urban homesteading. Through research and practical applications, students will learn how to create small-scale food systems that mimic natural ecosystems. Students will explore the resiliency and diversity of garden farming via edible forests, ecosystem design, animal husbandry, mini orchards, season extensions, food self-reliance, and intensive planting strategies. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Formerly GRBD 152)
Course Outcomes
- Define intensive farming and permaculture techniques suitable to home scale food production systems.
- Set measurable goals for your own home food production systems, including an assessment of caloric needs, potential crop yields and budget considerations and designing a garden system that closely meets these needs.
- Describe season extension and food preservation techniques for optimal food production and storage.
- Expand upon the notion of self-reliance by assessing regenerative environmental, economic and social systems.