Penn Farm | Wellness at Penn

About the Farm

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The Penn Farm is a campus farm and educational program that uses regenerative practices to grow produce in support of food access initiatives throughout the Penn community. Penn Farm’s priorities are rooted in access, sustainability, and education. Each year, the farm grows thousands of pounds of organically grown produce to support food access initiatives and hosts a wide variety of programming including volunteer opportunities, tours, workshops, fellowships and other academic engagement. Our mission is to reduce food insecurity on campus while fostering a profound and interdisciplinary understanding of sustainable food systems among students, empowering them to effect positive change in their local environments.

Access

Wellness at Penn recognizes that many Penn students experience food insecurity during their time on campus. According to the 2022 National College Health Assessment, approximately 31% of undergraduate students and 27% of graduate students at Penn experience food insecurity.

Each week we distribute over 200 servings of fresh, organic produce to the Penn community for free through our food access programs and partnerships. Distribution partners help us get the food we grow directly to members of the Penn community who are experiencing food insecurity. Having access to nutritious food is critical to students’ health and wellbeing.

Sustainability

The Penn Farm is located at the southernmost tip of Penn Park, one of Penn’s largest green spaces. The site was formerly a parking lot for USPS before Penn purchased the land and turned the site into a park (2011) and later a farm (2020). Penn Farm staff and students have implemented advanced regenerative agriculture techniques to restore the health of this converted site. Penn Farm is aligned with Penn policies like the Climate Action Plan(link is external) and In Principles and In Practice(link is external) in understanding the urgency of climate change and that the best solutions will arise from interdisciplinary work and a long-term commitment. Penn Farm works to implement promising urban agriculture initiatives and practices that aid in both food production and caring for the built environment by focusing on local food systems, reducing carbon footprints, improving soil health, and creating climate resiliency.

Education

As a campus farm, education is at the core of Penn Farm’s work. Penn Farm is a living laboratory and the space is used to increase food systems literacy, technical growing skills, and self-efficacy of the Penn Community.

The Penn Farm welcomes students, faculty, and staff across the university to learn more by taking a tour of the farm. During the tour, participants are taught about the history and mission of the Penn Farm, the food access initiatives supported by the farms, the sustainable growing practices utilized, and other relevant content based on their interest. In some cases, Penn Farm will provide guest lectures for relevant courses. Touring groups have the option to additionally volunteer at the farm for a hands-on learning experience.

REQUEST A TOUR HERE(link is external)

Food Access and Farming Fellowship

Each summer, Penn Farm hosts a cohort of fellows who receive extensive technical training in sustainable farming, and participate in an intensive food systems curriculum.

This fellowship was highlighted in the August 2023 issue of Penn Today.(link is external) Students have shared that this fellowship can be transformational to their academic and professional journeys, including the following testimonials:

“I believe that in working at Penn food justice space, I have finally found the intersection between the humanities/history, public health, and science that I have been searching for throughout my undergraduate studies.”

“I feel that I've learned a lot, from farming practices to some of the history of food and land justice to our food system. I also feel that there have been physical benefits to moving my body and doing physical work, even if it's not always enjoyable at the time.”

Each week, summer Fellows complete readings, discussions, assignments and presentations about many important food systems topics. They have the opportunity to create personal connections to the material, and understand food systems concepts on a deeper level. This curriculum culminates in a final project that is shared as a learning tool with the broader Penn community through events and class visits to Penn Farm during the academic year. At the farm, they gain technical skills in urban farming and participate in every step from seed to harvest.