tour of Dartmouth’s Organic Farm is an object lesson in what you can build into 220 acres when you respect and nurture the natural environment. In addition to producing 2,000+ pounds of fresh organic produce per year, the Dartmouth Organic Farm supports multiple scientific research projects as well as undergraduate courses in biology, education, engineering, environmental studies, geography, and religion. Alongside those agricultural and scholarly pursuits, the Dartmouth Outdoor Programs Office sponsors farm-based activities for every taste and season, including hiking, tracking, fishing, paddling, biking, and cross-country skiing. Informal trails and wooded roads offer serene walks, picnicking, or a “forest succession” hike to the top of Oak Hill.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DON HAMERMAN; AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH BY ELI BURAKIAN ’ 00
What the farm is teaching us Much of the coursework undertaken at the site involves primary research activities, and students often spend 25 percent or more of their class time in the field. In an Ecological Agriculture course taught by Visiting Assistant Professor Selena Ahmed, for example, on-farm tomato crop cultivation and experimental plots helped to link agricultural strategies to the workings of the broader food system. Ahmed’s students also collaborated with the Dartmouth farm program manager and regional farmers to identify barriers and opportunities associated with agroecological management practices. On another front, Anne Kapuscinski, the inaugural Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Sustainability Science, is tackling aquaculture challenges facing the seafood industry. Students in a recent Ecological Agriculture course worked in Kapuscinski’s farm-based fish laboratory to explore the use of naturally occurring microalgae to feed commercially raised fish. Kapuscinski hopes to soon produce microalgae in her lab, a breakthrough that could revolutionize sustainable aquaculture. Equal parts sustainable business, regional health initiative, and community nexus In 2015, Farm Manager Laura Carpenter pioneered an innovative food distribution model known as “one third, one third, one third.” This approach directs one third of the food grown on the farm to revenue-generating customers such as the Dartmouth Dining Services Farm Stand and the campus food truck. Another third of the farm’s produce is delivered to FARMacy, a joint venture of the Geisel School of Medicine, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Care Policy and Clinical Practice, regional advocacy nonprofit ReThink Health, and the Claremont Soup Kitchen. FARMacy clients receive weekly community supported agriculture grocery bags and participate in cooking classes that help them manage food-related illnesses. The farm’s last third is used to feed volunteers and community members at on-farm events — pizza-oven dinners, campfires, crepe-making workshops, and open houses.
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