ESPM 117 urban agriculture

Transcription

1 ESPM 117 urban agriculture Instructors: Prof. Miguel Altieri 215 Mulford Nathan McClintock 583 McCone Albie Miles 25 Hilgard Lecture: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4-5:30 PM, 126 Barrows Hall Labs: the Student Organic Garden (corner of Virginia & Walnut) Sec. 1: 8-10 Sec. 2: Sec. 3: 1:30-3:30 Website: (click on ESPM 117) Course Overview: ESPM 117 (formerly "Urban Garden Ecosystems") revolves around a fundamental question: How do we mend the metabolic rift between farm and fork, ie, the socioecological rupture between city dwellers and the food they consume? Over the course of the semester, we will study urban food production (with a particular emphasis on organic gardening) through a twin lens of political ecology and agroecology. This interdisciplinary approach will allow us to better understand the biophysical and socioeconomic opportunities for and obstacles limiting urban and peri-urban agriculture both in the Bay Area and internationally. The course is interactive and hands-on, integrating theory & practice as we cover the fundamental principles, skills, and concepts associated with ecological horticulture for use in urban/peri-urban settings, and explore urban agriculture s role in aiding the reintegration of food, soil, and city. The classroom component consists of lectures, guest speakers by Bay Area professionals and scholars, field trips to urban farms and gardens, discussion of readings, and student presentations. Topics covered include: "metabolic rift," local food systems, and the political ecology of urban agriculture urban agroecosystems in both US and developing world contexts urban agriculture & community development (includes field trips) fundamentals of horticulture, soil science, insect & soil ecology organic production techniques urban garden design

2 In weekly lab sessions, we learn how to grow food. We will cover: horticultural techniques (plant propagation, direct-seeding, transplanting) soil quality & fertility management irrigation & water conservation pest/disease/weed management compost production beneficial insect habitat fruit tree management Grading: Quizzes (10%) Short answer questions on each major topic Midterm (30%) One take-home exam (due 10/30) Final Project (30%) (one of the following) Project in the UCB Student Organic Garden Grant proposal Oxford Tract agroecological monitoring & evaluation Research Paper (12-15 pages) Participation (30%) Lab attendance Discussion participation Garden responsibilities Community garden hours Farmer s Market action research Texts: All readings are available as downloads/links on the course website or as a reader from Replica Copy (on Oxford between Center & Allston) You may also want to purchase the following as an excellent reference for Bay Area urban gardening. Peirce, Pam Golden Gate Gardening (Revised Edition). Seattle: Sasquatch Books.

3 Course Schedule & Assignments: Week 1 Tu 8/28 Th 8/30 Course Overview & Introduction to Urban Agriculture The Metabolic Rift and Local Food Systems John Bellamy Foster Marx s Theory of Metabolic Rift: Classical Foundations for Environmental Sociology. American Journal of Sociology 105(2): (read pp through 2 nd paragraph) Jack Kloppenberg Jr., John Henrickson & G.W. Stevenson Coming into the Foodshed. Agriculture & Human Values 13(3): F 8/31 : Intro to the UCB Student Organic Garden Week 2 Tu 9/4 Urban Agriculture in the Developing World R. van Veenhuizen Ch. 1: Introduction. Cities Farming for the Future: Urban Agriculture for Green and Productive Cities. RUAF. Mike Davis Planet of Slums: Urban Involution and the Informal Proletariat. New Left Review 26(2):5-34. (read through p. 27) Video: Urban Agriculture, RUAF Th 9/6 Community Food Security Guest Speaker: Navina Khanna, UC Cooperative Extension Mark Winnie Community Food Security: Promoting Food Security and Building Healthy Food Systems. Community Food Security Coalition. Laura Salvidar-Tanaka and Marianne E. Krasny Culturing community development, neighborhood open space, and civic agriculture: The case of Latino community gardens in New York City. Agriculture & Human Values 21(4): Serena Unger & Heather Wooten Executive Summary. A Food Systems Assessment for Oakland, CA: Towards a Sustainable Food Plan. Oakland Mayor s Office of Sustainability/UCB. F 9/7 : Greenhouse Propagation/Bed Preparation & Tillage

4 Albie Miles & Martha Brown (eds) Unit 1.3: Propagation/Greenhouse Management & Unit 1.2: Tillage and Cultivation. Teaching Organic Farming & Gardening: Resources for Instructors. UCSC Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems. Week 3 Tu 9/11 Soil Physical Properties TOFG, Unit 2.1: Soil Physical Properties. Fred Magdoff and Harold van Es Introduction and Ch Building Soils for Better Crops. Sustainable Agriculture Network Handbook Series Book 4. Th 9/13 Soil Chemistry & Ecology TOFG, Unit 2.2: Soil Chemistry and Fertility. Building Soils for Better Crops, Ch. 7. F 9/14 : Transplanting, Direct Seeding, Irrigation TOFG, Unit 1.4 & Unit 1.5 Week 4 Tu 9/18 Plant Plumbing, Water Use & Irrigation TOFG, Unit 1.5: Irrigation: Principles & Practices. Th 9/20 F 9/21 REVIEW : Irrigation, Plant Propagation Week 5 Tu 9/25 Soil Fertility Management (Overview/Mulching/Composting) Building Soils for Better Crops, Ch. 8, 9 & 12 TOFG, Unit 1.7: Making and Using Compost. Christopher J. Starbuck Making and Using Compost. Horticultural MU Guide, University Extension, U. of Missouri-Columbia.

5 Th 9/27 Soil Fertility Management (Cover Crops/Nutrient Analysis) Building Soils for Better Crops, Ch. 10 & 11. F 9/28 : Composting & Vermicomposting Week 6 Tu 10/2 Th 10/4 FIELD TRIP: City Slicker Farms Agroecological Principles & Biodiversity Miguel A. Altieri Agroecology: Principles and strategies for designing sustainable farming systems. Miguel A. Altieri The ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 74: F 10/5 UC Division of Ag & Natural Resources Weed Management for Organic Crops. UCANR Publication Week 7 Tu 10/9 Biological Control of Insect Pests Guest Lecture: Dr. Clara Ines Nicholls, UCB ESPM/CLAS Miguel A. Altieri and Clara I. Nicholls w/ Marlene A. Fritz Ch Manage Insects on Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies. Sustainable Agriculture Network Handbook Series Book 7. Th 10/11 Agroecological Disease Management Guest Lecture: Dr. Robert Raabe, UCB Professor Emeritus, Plant Pathology Sullivan, P Sustainable Management of Soil-Borne Plant Diseases. ATTRA Soil Systems Guide. ATTRA Plant Disease Handout F 10/12 : Pest Management

6 Week 8 Tu 10/16 Th 10/18 Fertility Management & Assessment/Crop Planning Garden Design Guest Lecture: Christopher Shein, Wildheart Gardens/Merritt College Landscape Hort. ATTRA, Introduction to Permaculture: Concepts & Resources. F 10/19 Week 9 Tu 10/23 MIDTERM Review & Distribution Urban Livestock (Chickens & Friends) Rick & Gail Luttmann Chickens in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press. Ch. 1-6, 8-9, Th 10/25 FIELD TRIP: Berkeley Youth Alternatives Laura J. Lawson City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening. Berkeley: University of California Press. Ch. 5: A Look at Gardens Today (pp ) F 10/26 Week 10 Tu 10/30 MIDTERM DUE by 4PM in Miguel s box (134 Mulford, ESPM Reception) FIELD TRIP: Spiral Gardens Th 11/1 Extension & Education FIELD TRIP: Berkeley Alternative High School Guest Lecture: Justin Watkins, UC Cooperative Extension Emily Ozer The Effects of School Gardens on Students and Schools: Conceptualization and Considerations for Maximizing Healthy Development. Health Education & Behavior.

7 Graham & Zidenberg-Cherr CA Teachers Perceive School Gardens as an Effective Nutritional Tool to Promote Healthy Eating Habits. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 105(11): F 11/2 Week 11 Tu 11/6 Urban Agriculture and Public Health Guest Speaker: Eddy Jara, UCB School of Public Health Jane Dixon et al The Health Equity Dimensions of Urban Food Systems. The Health Equity Dimensions of Urban Food Systems. Journal of Urban Health 84(1): RUAF Fact Sheet: Urban Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition. Th 11/8 F 11/9 FIELD TRIP: MLK Middle School s Edible Schoolyard Week 12 Tu 11/13 Th 11/15 Action Research Grantwriting John O del Grants and Grant Proposal Writing, 3 rd Ed. Rhode Island College Center for Management and Technology. F 11/16 Week 13 Tu 11/20 Debating Food System Localization Guest Panel: TBA Patricia Allen Together at the Table: Sustainability and Sustenance in the American Agrifood System. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. Ch. 7. Politics of Complacency? Rethinking Food-System Localization (pp )

8 Th 11/22 F 11/23 NO CLASS (Thanksgiving) NO (Thanksgiving) Week 14 Tu 11/27 Th 11/29 F 11/30 Reporting on Action Research Presentations NO Week 15 Tu 12/4 Th 12/6 F 12/7 Presentations Wrap-Up, Concluding Remarks, Course Evaluation NO