Education
Organic Agriculture Education at Cal Poly
Opportunity to participate in organic production through the offering of enterprise project classes.
Overview
The organic farm offers students from across campus the opportunity to participate in organic production through the offering of enterprise project classes. These classes allow students without any prior experience to plant, care harvest and market organic vegetables. Students also participate in weekly discussions of topics related to agriculture in general and specifically organic production and certification. Class time also includes a "vegetable of the week" that includes discussions about the growth, nutrition and uses for a variety of seasonal vegetables. This "field to fork" experience teaches students how agriculture works and empowers them as consumers.
Enterprise Course Offerings
PLSC 203. Organic Enterprise Project. 2 units CR/NC
Term Typically Offered: F, W, SP
Beginning field experience in production and marketing of organic vegetable crops. May include cultural practices, harvesting, processing, sales and marketing activities. Credit/No Credit grading only. 1 lecture, 1 activity.
PLSC 205. Orchard and Vegetable Enterprise Project. 2 units CR/NC
Term Typically Offered: F, W, SP
Hands-on experience in the production and marketing of fruit and vegetable crops such as blueberries, stone fruits, pomegranates, apples, citrus, avocados, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, squash and lettuce. Students will also receive hands-on training in crop management. Not open to students with credit in PLSC 202 or PLSC 204. Credit/No Credit grading only. 1 lecture, 1 activity.
Other course offerings on campus include:
PLSC 315 Principles of Organic Crop Production (GE Area B7; GE Area F)
PLSC 420 Organic Crop Production Systems
AG 450 Applied Holistic Management
UNIV 330 Cal Poly Land: Nature, Technology and Society (GE AREA B7; GE Area F)
Additionally, the organic farm serves as a living laboratory for other classes to visit and use as a demonstration area for a variety of different topics including soil science, nutrition, pest management, land use, vegetable production practices.