Welcome
Land Acknowledgement
Acadia University is located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaq people. Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples of Canada is a core value at the institution and is included in the Acadia Strategic Plan (2020).
As part of Acadia's environmental sustainability goals the university aims to incorporate Indigenous Traditional Knowledge of sustainability and environmental stewardship across the campus. At the Acadia Farm we are exploring ways of growing food informed by Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
The Acadia Community Farm makes this land acknowledgement to recognize that Indigenous Peoples have been growing, harvesting, hunting, fishing, and collecting food in a healthy, sustainable, and just way for generations before colonization. We must remember how the land nourishes and cares for us and in return we must endeavor to care for the land and each other. We are all treaty people.
About Us
The Acadia Community Farm is located in Mi'kma'ki on the Acadia University campus in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. The farm is a half-acre educational garden started in 2008 by Acadia students, Alex Redfield and Hillary Barter. Since that first season it has grown to host thirty individual campus and community garden plots as well as the original university garden. Organic produce is grown and harvested by students and volunteers for the Acadia dining hall and also donated to the local food bank.
The Acadia Farm is an internal organization of the Acadia Sustainability Office. Students and volunteers play a big role in managing and maintaining the farm with support from the Acadia Sustainability Office and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens. A student coordinator is hired each season and is responsible for day to day operations under the supervision of the Acadia Sustainability Coordinator.
Each year seasonal workshops are offered by local experts on a variety of topics such as permaculture, organic gardening, seed saving and more. The Farm is also used as a teaching resource and for field research for a variety of Acadia courses in community development, biology, environmental and sustainability studies and others.
The Farm also serves as the Town of Wolfville Community Garden, with garden plots available to anyone in the Acadia and Wolfville community. Plots are free of charge and plot holders provide volunteer time in exchange for a plot.
Funding is provided by our partners including Chartwells, Acadia University, the Acadia Students' Union, the Town of Wolfville, Friends of Agriculture in Nova Scotia, Service Canada and others.
The Acadia Farm is open from May to October each season. Contact us to learn how to get involved. No experience, only enthusiasm, is necessary.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
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Acadia is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). The Acadia Community Farm supports Goal #2 Zero Hunger. This global goal is focused on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. Specifically, the Acadia Farm improves food security, promotes sustainable food production, encourages use of diverse seeds, and educates about sustainable food systems. Learn more about the UNSDGs at Acadia. |
Acadia Community Farm Though the Years by Katherine Waterbury (2020)
Our Core Values
The following values have been core to our work since the Farm was re-established in 2008. Our intention is that the Acadia Community Farm will serve the campus and community with a focus on being:
• Educational - Serve as a learning laboratory for Acadia students and others
• Accessible - Programs are free of charge to foster food security
• Inclusive - All members of our campus and community are welcome
• Sustainable - Aligned with campus sustainability goals
• Connected - Connected to our community
Operating Hours
The farm is open between 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM from May to October.
Staff are on site most days depending on the weather. They also hold regular office hours in DeWolfe House to catch up on administrative tasks throughout the season.
Volunteer work parties are scheduled at different times throughout the week for volunteers to drop in and lend a hand in the university garden.
Advisory Committee
The Acadia Community Farm is governed by a committee of staff, faculty and students. Current members include:
Jodie Noiles, Acadia Sustainability Coordinator (Director)
James Sanford, Executive Director, Student Services
Dr. Liesel Carlsson, School of Nutrition and Dietetics
Melanie Priesnitz, Conservation Horticulturalist, K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens
Sarah Boudreau, Acadia Alumni & Past Farm Coordinator (2016-2019)