In January 2004, NewFarm.org published an article on the student farm movement, the growing number of small-scale, student-run farm and garden projects cropping up at colleges and universities across North America. Included with the story was a preliminary directory of about 40 student farms, ranging from 1/4-acre gardens first dug in 2005 by small groups of students in their spare time to century-old college farms with student work programs fully integrated across interdisciplinary academic curricula.
But student (and faculty) interest in sustainable farming is spreading fast, and we kept hearing about new programs and adding them to the list. The old Student Farm Directory got longer--and increasingly hard to read. We struggled to represent the diversity of sustainable ag education within the confines of our original format.
At the same time, the student farm movement's success has strengthened other campus initiatives to understand and improve agricultural systems. To get food service departments to buy local, and buy organic. To build green dorms and university composting centers. To create majors in agroecology.
So we decided to overhaul our directory. This new and improved Farming for Credit Directory lists hands-on and classroom-based sustainable ag education opportunities side by side. As before, it is organized first by region, then alphabetically by state and within states by institutional name. Each entry includes the name of the farm and/or program, URLs for more info, and barebones program details. In the FARM column are year founded, acres in cultivation, and primary outlets for the harvest. In the CREDIT column is a brief outline of what's on offer academically: courses, majors, minors, certificates, etc.
For comprehensive information on courses and degree programs in sustainable farming worldwide, see the USDA's Educational and Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture, regularly updated by the good people at the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC). Another great resource is Miriam Weinstein's Making a Difference College and Graduate Guide. For off-campus farm-based learning, see the Sustainable Farming Internships and Apprenticeships database maintained by NCAT/ATTRA.
If you know of a sustainable ag program or student farm project not on this list (of if you have updated information), please contact us.
Connecticut |
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Maine |
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Massachusetts |
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New Hampshire |
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New Jersey |
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New York |
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Pennsylvania |
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Vermont |
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Florida |
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University of Florida
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Georgia |
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Kentuky |
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North Carolina |
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South Carolina |
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Virginia |
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West Virginia |
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Indiana |
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Iowa |
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Michigan |
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Minnesota |
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Missouri |
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Ohio |
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Wisconsin |
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Arizona |
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California |
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Colorado |
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Hawaii |
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Idaho |
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Montana |
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New Mexico |
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Oregon |
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Washington |
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Wyoming |
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British Columbia |
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Nova Scotia |
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Ontario |
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Québec |
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