The B Street Permaculture Project
Organic Food Production
The overall needs of our organization stem from our desire to connect with a variety of people and organizations with different expertise in order to initiate programs on the property that will result in community building, research, and demonstration of environmentally sensitive farming techniques
One of the major efforts of the project is to institutionalize biomass-recycling systems at the University, such as composting food waste from the kitchens and grass clippings from landscaping services. The soil in the gardening area is completely depleted from years of overgrazing. New organic materials are essential in helping to restore fertility to the soil. Other sources of organic material are city leaves and chipped wood, both of which are deposited at the site by Forest Grove city workers for distribution to the garden beds and paths. "Chicken tractors" are also in use to mow weeds as well as contribute to fertility. While the first season's produce included melons, tomatoes, and potatoes, the emphasis for the first couple of years will be to improve the worn out soil rather than to produce food. Students are getting a chance to practice soil testing and to learn about the role of cover crops, organic mulches, and animal manures in restoring soil life and fertility.
Beyond providing a site for experiential learning activities, the project seeks to link community members who wish to improve their eating habits to sources that provide locally grown organic food. As part of this effort, B Street is partnering with Adelante Mujeres, an organization dedicated to the holistic education and empowerment of low-income Latina women and their families and to helping these families attain economic security through the development of small businesses. Many of these families have agricultural experience and want to start organic market farms. The B Street Project has set aside half of the gardening area (about half an acre) as a business incubator for this group.
In addition to accessing information about where to buy sustainably grown food, community members who visit the B Street Farm will be able to buy locally adapted vegetable transplants at the correct time for planting in the Forest Grove area as well as see demonstrations on soil preparation, planting, pruning, edible landscaping, food preserving, cheese making, and keeping backyard chickens and bees.
Pacific University has joined a national movement to stay local. Many colleges across the country are experimenting with permaculture and sustainable food and farming projects. Creating sustainable human environments and strengthening the connection between the land and humans is a new cause for many colleges and students.
According to a recent Time magazine article, about 45 colleges and universities have started campus farms, much like Pacific's B Street Farm. Not only are farms becoming a part of campus life, but the motto "eat local" is floating around campus as well. Nearly 200 universities have taken this to heart and started buying produce and other food products from local area farmers, instead of from larger national groups. Staying local means helping the environment by cutting down on the use of fossil fuels to ship food across the country when a school can get it from down the road. Not only is it helping the environment, but typically locally grown food use less pesticides.