| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | Maria Ayala |
| Submission Date | Dec. 25, 2013 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
ER-T2-2: Organic Garden
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Hugo
Castell Instructor Agronomy |
Does the institution have an on-campus garden where students are able to gain organic farming and/or gardening experience?:
A brief description of the garden:
USFQ’s Organic Garden is a mandatory class to agriculture introduction. The garden is located some 6 miles away from the University in a 2.4 acre leased piece of land.
Each semester there is generally between 7 to 10 students in the class where everything from seed planting to genetic research is carried out. Besides students, there are 3 fulltime workers that oversee the organic farm. Students stick to a scheduled production process and are required to assist daily.
Besides cultivating in season-produce, the organic garden also serves as a seedbed for native plants such as Chilca, Guabo, Santa Maria, Ajisillo and podocarpus, which are then transplanted to parks and ravines. Everything is organically managed, from the fertilizer made form quail excrement, to the red earthworms for compost as well as fumigating with trichoderma mushrooms for pest control.
Products sold have to pass a sanitary verification in order to be packed and shipped to the farmers market on Friday’s at noon. Leftover produce is fed to the rabbits and guinea pigs at the farm. All other organic left over’s are used for compost and re used as organic fertilizer.
The website URL where information about the garden is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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