Ut Microfarm

For my fourth activity I volunteered at the student run UT Microfarm for two hours equaling one unit. During my time there I was asked to perform a variety of tasks including painting, weeding, and mulching. I also leaned about sustainable farming methods and what types of plants were grown at the farm. My first task at the UT Microfarm was to paint the outside of the shed. This was an attempt to beautify the farm to entice people to volunteer and support it. With the help of others I was able to complete this task in one hour. My second task was to weed and mulch the garden, which took another hour. First we plucked the weeds from the soil helping the plants grow and improving the aesthetics of the garden. We decided that it would be more effective to mulch the garden …show more content…
Its urban setting is very sustainable because vacant urban areas can be used to farm unlike rural farms habitat is not being destroyed to create this farm. The Microfarm also helps reduce the carbon footprint in urban areas due to the plants that are present. Products travel short distances requiring less energy, which reduces the demand for fossil fuels. Also since the Microfarm uses a compost system they are reducing methane emissions caused by food waste in landfills. The Microfarm uses sustainable farming practices such as crop rotation and companion planting. Crop rotation is the process by which different crops are grown in the same area depending on the season to help preserve certain nutrients in the soil. Companion planting helps plants grow efficiently. Another example of sustainability at the microfarm is the use of deep irrigation, which delivers water directly to the root of the plant causing litter water to be wasted. If other farms like the UT Microfarm were to spring up in cities across the world there would be a plentiful source of food people with various economic backgrounds requiring little