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CASFS
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Practical Training / Farm & Garden ApprenticeshipThe Center offers practical as well as academic training in the techniques of agroecology and organic farming and gardening. The Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture (see below) is the oldest of the Center's programs, offering hands-on training at the UCSC Farm and Alan Chadwick Garden. Academic and practical training in agroecology and sustainable agriculture is also offered through a new UCSC Summer Session course and international courses coordinated by Center faculty affiliates and staff. The Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture
Since its founding in 1967, the Apprenticeship has developed into an internationally recognized program that blends the virtues of experiential learning with traditional classroom studies. Topics covered during the six-month course include soil management, composting, pest control, crop planning, irrigation, farm equipment, marketing techniques, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) practices.
If You're Thinking about ApplyingPlease read the material in the Information/Application section for a full description of the Apprenticeship and contact information. International applicants should also read the Information for International Applicants.
Application deadlines and notification dates for the 2009 program are:
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The
Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture provides training in the
concepts and practices of organic gardening and small-scale farming.
This full-time program is held at the Center's 25-acre Farm
and 3-acre Alan Chadwick Garden on the UCSC campus. Run in conjunction
with UCSC Extension, the Apprenticeship course carries 20 units
of Extension credit for the approximately 300 hours of classroom
instruction and 700 hours of in-field training and hands-on experience
in the greenhouses, gardens, orchards, and fields. Tuition for the
six-month course is $4,250.
The Apprenticeship
model of combining theoretical and practical instruction has been
replicated both locally and internationally as apprentices go on to
train others in hands-on projects. Graduates have also established
their own commercial farms and market gardens, run community gardens
for inner city
and prison populations, and developed school gardening programs. Many
graduates
take part in international development projects, including programs in
Nepal,
Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, and throughout Central and South America.
Others
have raised the standards of the organic food industry through work
with
certification programs and retailers.
.