Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
University of California - Santa Cruz

Nell Newman and Rosina Guerra (Planeta Orgânico's CEO)
at the field Center.

The Center of Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems is located at the University of California , Santa Cruz. Through our research and educational efforts we seek to increase understanding of the social, economic, political, and ethical foundations of agriculture sustainability; to establish the ecological and agronomic basis for sustainable production systems ; and to demonstrate and facilitate the use of information critical to the adoption of these systems

The Center offers a six- months training course in organic gardening and farming called the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture. The course, based at the Center’s on-campus 25 acre Farm and 2 –acre Alan Chadwick Garden, emphasizes hands-on learning, working side by side with instructors, and classes in organic horticultural methods. Cultural requirements for vegetable, herb, flower and fruit cultivars are covered, including the specifics of soil preparation, composting, sowing, cultivation, propagation, irrigation, and pest and disease control.

Students' house

Newman's Own Organics is one of the sponsors of the Center. Nell Newman has shown us the farm, and the Center's office, where we had the opportunity of meeting Dr. Carol Shennan, the Center's Director. We also met Martha Brown, who is Senior Editor ot the Bulletim The Cultivar.

From The Cultivar, Winter/Spring 2000 edition, we bring to Planeta Organico's visitors, the text below:

Nell Newman has just picked a sweet pepper

Variety Trials Play a Key Role in Organic Farming
If variety is the spice of life, the variety trials can not only spice up a grower’s routine, they can be a critical element in any successful farming business or gardening venture.

7 Keys to Variety Trials

Start all seeds at the same time under similar conditions

Plant crops near each for easier comparisons

Choose average conditions, rather than the best or worst sites.

Label seedling flats and in field plantings

Keep accurate records of:
seedling vigor
pest and disease resistance
hardiness
heat and cold tolerance
bolting rates
yield
taste

Don’t trial too many varieties or too many crops the same year, especially if space and time are limited

Make trials a regular part of your farming routine, even after you' ve found varieties that work for you.

Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
UC Santa Cruz
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, California 95064
http://zzyx.ucsc.edu/cafs