The Wheaton Farm Initiative is a project that the student slow food group, Aftertaste, had been aiming to implement on campus for a number of years. WheaFarm will serve the greater good and engage the extended Wheaton College community in activities focusing on food justice and sustainability. A Wheaton College farm is a great way to bring together the many student clubs focused on the environment
and food, while also engaging a broader group of people through faculty supported classroom activities, collaboration with the Norton school district, and commitment to President Obama’s Interfaith Community Service Challenge. A community garden will be able to act as the anchor to expand and strengthen other programs on campus, from continuing the composting program implemented in 2010 to developing new curricula for SEEDS, the student club dedicated to environmental education. In doing so, the garden will effectively put Wheaton College’s sustainability goals into practice. Through collaboration with the Norton school district, Cupboard of Kindness (the local food pantry), and other organizations in Norton and the surrounding area, WheaFarm will help form a healthy and dynamic relationship between the different entities of this small town. Through the development of a garden, Wheaton’s community will be able to tangibly explore the impacts of our global food system, as well as the benefits of local and sustainable food production. Location:
The farm is located in a grassy area across from the Clark Center, in the yard of Guesthouse, where in the future, we aim to house students interested in working on the farm during the academic year. A residential component will contribute to the necessary commitment we desire from students, providing the project with a solid foundation for continuity. A greenhouse (in need of restoration) is located right across the way, providing the farm with an already existing site to start transplants.
