By Nina Merrill
I had the privilege of spending my last semester of Colgate University on a study group in Santa Fe, New Mexico. One component of this Native American Studies program, which I participated in from August to December of 2009, expected each student to volunteer on a nearby Native American pueblo (or village) for the course of the semester. With my passion for organic agriculture and sustainability in mind, it should come as no shock that I jumped on the opportunity to work on a local organic Indian farm.
On my first day working on the Tesuque Pueblo Organic Farm, I wrote the following passage in my journal:
“It is so interesting to experience the muscle soreness and exhaustion that comes with manual labor after years of schooling that stresses sedentary work over anything physical. All at once, a lot of the topics I had studied about sustainability and agriculture came together for me, as I felt the sun on my back and experienced the interesting group dynamic of a traditional Indian farm.”
As the entries written on this blog illustrate, students all around the country are incredibly passionate and devoted to promoting organic and sustainable food. We start organic clubs and organizations, petition our school administrations and food service companies to support food-related causes, ask to take courses in sustainable agriculture, and even start our own student run farms and gardens (see the Rodale Institute’s Farming for Credit Directory for a list of student farms). However, and I will only speak for myself here, I always supported sustainability and organics from the comfort of my clean and manicured college green. Getting down on the ground level, and working in the soil on my hands and knees, was the best thing I could have ever done to cement my passion for organics.
But let me be clear here that it was not all fun and games. Because I was working on an organic farm that (obviously) did not use harmful pesticides, I often spent my days in the field picking up burrs, or “pricklers” as the director of the farm called them somewhat affectionately. I found myself frustrated and muttering under my breath. I wanted to be back in bed, resting, or at a desk job. I was quickly learning that farming can be exhausting, fruitless, and downright difficult at times, but this is a realization that I am so glad to have had (it was unbelievably humbling). I was experiencing the part of organic farming that is not very glamorous, the part that you do not see when walking through the organic produce section at your local co-op or Whole Foods. But then I looked around me at the Santa Fe mountains, remembered how incredible the sun felt on my back, saw the beautiful and healthful vegetables that I was taking part in harvesting, and suddenly all of my frustrations became obsolete.
I think farming is an activity that should be mandatory for anyone interested in learning about agriculture, but especially for students passionate about organics. The organic agrarian lifestyle is what supported people for centuries, yet most people (including myself just a few months ago) have no idea of the energy and tenacity it takes to successfully cultivate a field. I’m not ignorant enough to think that I know even a part of what it truly takes to be an organic farmer after just a few weeks of work on the farm. But I feel better about my support of organic and local food now that I know just a little bit more about what it takes to get it from farm to fork. And I love the fact that I will never be able to look at a chili pepper in the same way again.
Have you had any experiences with organic farming as a college student? How did it change your perception of sustainability and organics? Have any students at your college or university started a student-run garden or farm?
