Educate
Farm Director Patrick Archie (far right) and students in the field.
Students come to the O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm to test new ideas, apply their classroom learning and take part in on-farm research. From symbiosis and nutrient cycling to understanding the relationships among food production, ecology, economics and health, the farm is the place where theory is put to practice.
Hands-on learning experiences are available in a variety of forms, from workshops and Stanford science and design courses to health improvement classes. We also offer programs for local school groups in collaboration with the Haas Center for Public Service and a summer high school internship program through the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.
Stanford Student Courses
- Principles and Practices of Sustainable Agriculture, given in fall and spring quarters, uses the farm as both classroom and laboratory. Students learn farming practices as well as the ecological principles behind them.
- Science of Soils uses the farm as a living laboratory. Student soils research is already guiding management on the farm.
- Other courses leverage the space for student projects and class field trips, including:
Student Internships
The farm offers Stanford Earth Systems Internships for credit, as well as a summer program in which students work alongside our farmers to design and build their own on-farm research or environmental education projects. The farm also hosts high school students from the Bay Area every summer as part of the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences High School Internship Program.
Research and Innovation
The farm provides a space for student-directed research in sustainable food systems. In addition to student work, farm Director Patrick Archie and computer science graduate student Victor Chahuneau are researching the impact of a new IT system to manage sales and track yields on small-scale community-supported agriculture. Student groups in the Design for Extreme Affordability course prototype their low-cost agricultural technologies on the farm, and farm staff are testing innovative practices for small-scale agriculture.
K-12 Education and Outreach
As the farm develops, we will grow our outreach and educational programs serving the broader community.
Outreach and education programs will be offered to campus and surrounding communities. Examples of outreach programs that will be developed over the next several years include:
- Summer High School Sustainable Agriculture Program
- School and community partner field trips (beginning with a standards-based science curriculum for 5th-grade field trips to the farm)
- School garden and sustainable food education programming for students and teachers
