Guelph organic agriculture program

This interdisciplinary course will examine the major social issues in organic agriculture from both a global and local perspective, with an emphasis on synthesis and integration. Issues will include globalization, sustainability, gender, food, social movements, the organic agri-food system, rural communities, and the role of the family farm. Send Page to Printer. Download Page PDF. Undergraduate Academic Calendar. Students from across disciplines come to the farm to learn about sustainable urban food production, heritage seed production, permaculture, food security, fair trade and year-round food production.

Students and faculty interested in all aspects of permaculture, organic food and produce production, spray-free zones for insects, etc, should consider the GCUOF as a possible field site for their research. This research project was completed by master's student Paul Wartman with the purpose of determining the effects of perennial polyculture forest gardens on soil fungal and bacterial communities and apple tree growth.

Current food production systems are heavily dependent on fossil fuel-based inputs, which contribute to environmental degradation. Forest gardens are perennial polycultures designed to create self-supporting systems for increased productivity and biodiversity. What is being done? This study is measuring the effects that functionally diverse, perennial polycultures have on the soil fungal and bacterial communities, as well as apple tree growth.

Four understory treatments— 1 mowed-sod, 2 mowed-sod with compost, 3 forest garden, and 4 forest garden with compost—have been applied in three newly established apple orchards. The forest garden treatments consist of 10 functional species, including nitrogen fixers, dynamic nutrient accumulators, secondary human-edible crops, and season-long nectar sources.

Measurements will be taken on soil mycorrhizal and bacterial communities, soil physical and chemical properties, and apple tree growth. Implications Increased diversity of functional perennial plants provides great opportunity to reduce the amount of external inputs, such as pesticides, fertilizers, and mechanization, required for food production management, which means climate change mitigation and environmental regeneration.

Mixed markets of high-yielding perennial crops provide economic resiliency for farmers, as well as a local, sustainable choice for consumers. Stuart Oke, program manager for the OCO, said they hope to make the connection between food production and the climate crisis in participants' minds. By focusing on climate change, Oke mentions the conference highlights the ways in which organic farming is already taking steps to incorporate sustainability, like cover cropping and integrating a diversity of species into farming.

Another aspect the conference will look at is labour shortages. Oke explains organic farming uses more labourers for production than other sectors within the agricultural industry. The information at this event is not only beneficial for organic farmers, but also for residents. Throughout the pandemic and climate crisis, Oke said there has been a boom in demand for local food, with people thinking more critically about where their food is coming from and what goes into producing it.