Major
Environmental Science
Anticipated Graduation Year
2022
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to evaluate the feasibility of growing a food forest on Loyola’s lakeshore campus to serve both as an experiment in sustainable agriculture, and to raise awareness to the rest of the Loyola and surrounding non-Loyola community about the importance of sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty. A food forest is a low-maintenance, perennial, and sustainable agroforestry system aimed at plant-based food production. It is based on a woodland ecosystem with layers including underground/fungal, groundcover, herbaceous, shrub, mid canopy, and full canopy layers. A food forest provides a sustainable and efficient way of restoring soil and ecology while feeding people and animals.
To determine feasibility, three sites on the lakeshore campus were chosen and tested for hours of sunlight, water infiltration rate, soil water content and bulk density, pH and soil nutrient analysis, and neighboring species. The results indicated that it would be feasible to plant a food forest in any of the locations tested, however the site titled “Crown” was chosen for the crop plan as it had the most space and visibility to both Loyola and non-Loyola residents. The significance of this research is to show the feasibility of a food forest on lakeshore campus and encourage current or future students to continue with the project and plant the garden.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Mariana Valencia Mestre
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Loyola Lakeshore Campus Food Forest Proposal
The purpose of this research is to evaluate the feasibility of growing a food forest on Loyola’s lakeshore campus to serve both as an experiment in sustainable agriculture, and to raise awareness to the rest of the Loyola and surrounding non-Loyola community about the importance of sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty. A food forest is a low-maintenance, perennial, and sustainable agroforestry system aimed at plant-based food production. It is based on a woodland ecosystem with layers including underground/fungal, groundcover, herbaceous, shrub, mid canopy, and full canopy layers. A food forest provides a sustainable and efficient way of restoring soil and ecology while feeding people and animals.
To determine feasibility, three sites on the lakeshore campus were chosen and tested for hours of sunlight, water infiltration rate, soil water content and bulk density, pH and soil nutrient analysis, and neighboring species. The results indicated that it would be feasible to plant a food forest in any of the locations tested, however the site titled “Crown” was chosen for the crop plan as it had the most space and visibility to both Loyola and non-Loyola residents. The significance of this research is to show the feasibility of a food forest on lakeshore campus and encourage current or future students to continue with the project and plant the garden.