As an educational space, the LFSOG provides many socially related opportunities.
Work and harvest parties, as they call them, encourage students to spend a few hours getting their hands dirty in the garden. This provides beneficial hands-on learning experiences to students while allowing the management team to complete necessary garden maintenance. Workshops put on by the LFSOG provide further learning experiences such as apple preservation and vegetable pickling. In addition, the space provides potential for a wide range of hands-on research. This project, for example, would not have occurred or been nearly as beneficial without the presence of the garden. The LFSOG allowed us, as students of the Agroecology 260 class, to not only become knowledgeable about beekeeping, but also to experience the bee hive as well as all contributing factors and therefore gain deeper understanding of the practice.
In addition, the present association with the Faculty of Education broadens the educational opportunities possible. Currently, a project is being developed on a small portion of the garden aimed to familiarize student teachers with the garden space. With access to the garden, student teachers can gain an understanding of how food and agriculture can be incorporated into lesson plans. Therefore, knowledge of food and agriculture can be extended to the broader community.
The LFSOG recently undertook a change in management to a more student-driven approach 1 . This not only provides a beneficial experience to students, but it is in line with the garden’s values and increases the potential for the garden to meet its goals.
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