De Anza College students’ efforts towards national agriculture week

Students at De Anza College use campus space in efforts this March in relevance for national agriculture week to educate students on eco friendly growing practices.

National agriculture week focuses on the efforts that go into growing crops. While De Anza College Environmental Science Department is utilizing space behind the Kirsch Center to focus on environmentally strategic ways to cultivate crops.

Lab technician, Merhan Karimi, connects a variety of students to working in the garden. Karimi said De Anza reflects international issues that relate to agriculture.

De Anza is demonstrating in the garden projects how, “We are not using any sort of chemicals, which is makes it 10 times harder.” Furthermore,“Huge farms if they do not use any sort of chemicals they run into problems.”

However, the garden projects shows there are other alternatives to battling small animals. The garden uses external protection over plants and hanging artificial owls to scare off smaller species.

Around other parts of campus, Karimi says that they use vitamin D to battle ground squirrels. “If hawks hunt the squirrels that just ate vitamin D, the hawk won’t get affected.”

The garden provides green onions to the cafeteria. Students volunteers and faculty walk green onions the cafeteria. “So they understand I am walking it to the kitchen where it gets prepped, rather than buying it outside where it's getting delivered by a truck. A diesel truck.”

Alicia Del Toro, environmental science instructor assists students on working on special projects, “I embed this into parts of my classes.”

She uses the garden to demonstrate agriculture practices. She uses green onions to demonstrate, “This is not the way I prefer to grow things. Green onions are a good example of monoculture versus a diverse community plant bed,” Delgado said. Furthermore it is a great way to have students experience this. “It connects students back to the food we eat.”

Simon Cerezo, 21, game development major, relates agriculture week to giving back to nature. “It makes me more aware,” said Cerzo. “In the past I was apart of clean ups. It was a camp out to graze new paths so they do not endanger native animals.”

Kate Matthews, 28, wildlife science technician major, find open space preserves important for wildlife plant and animal preservation. How further developments of agriculture and technology threatens open spaces preserves.

“It is a microcosm of fragmenting habitats. There is this stretch of undisturbed and underdeveloped land constantly being threatened of development because it is this open space that doesn’t have much. Businesses find it as potential for warehouses,” said Matthews.

Local community responses knowledge towards local agriculture businesses.
(10 total responses) compilled from De Anza and Foothill College Staff and Students