This fall, customers dining at one of Trent's food service facilities will be treated to fresh, organic produce thanks to an innovative partnership between Chartwells and a new student-run agricultural enterprise that is providing students with an incomparable hands-on learning experience.

Chartwells, the operator of on-campus dining halls and food kiosks, has agreed to buy much of the produce that can be grown at the Trent Market Garden, an initiative started this year by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems students. The food service company also provided seed money for infrastructure at the garden, which is located on one and a half acres at Trent's Sustainable Agriculture Environmental Farm.

"This is real dirt-under-the-fingernails learning," said Mark Murdoch, director of Food Services for Trent University, who oversees the relationship with Chartwells. "The students are learning how demanding farm work can be, in itself a very valuable experience, and they've had to develop a business plan."

"The goals of the project are to generate income for the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Society and the Experimental Farm and to provide healthy, locally-grown food on campus," added Jonathan Duffy, a third year Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems student and co-manager of the Trent Market Garden. "It's also an opportunity for agricultural students to do research and gain experiential learning." He pointed out that students are experimenting with different types of natural fertilizers including cricket manure.

"I've learned so much more about the things I'm studying in the classroom just by getting my hands dirty," said co-manager Emma Macdonald, one of five Trent student volunteers who are working in the field. "If the market garden can generate its own income to cover costs and pay wages, then it can also become a social enterprise."

The students are currently growing tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, kale, squash, eggplant, watermelon, and quinoa. "We have about 700 tomato plants - cherry, beefsteak, tomatillos, peppers," Mr. Duffy said. "Chartwells will take all the tomatoes we can grow."

"This is a great partnership for everyone involved," Mr. Murdoch said. "The Experimental Farm needed infrastructure to be able to grow food, the students needed a location for their market garden, and Chartwells wanted to buy a food product that is locally grown. The produce couldn't be any fresher - the garden is only five minutes from campus."

Posted on Thursday, July 2, 2015.