NW Valley Times

Chandler Traditional Academy teacher RyLee Williams and Ethos Academy teacher Silvia Vega joined junior environmental sciences major Elijah Hawkins in gathering water samples during the Urban Farming Education Conference. Photos by Ralph Freso.

A latex-gloved RyLee Williams carefully side-stepped down the sloping gravel to the edge of a small canal along Little Canyon Trail that runs through Grand Canyon University’s campus. She leaned over carefully and used a sterilized bottle to scoop up the water.

“That was scary,” she said.

One wouldn’t want to fall into the milky brown canal. The day before, GCU professor Dr. Berenise Charlton’s legs slipped into the shallow water, only later to find out when the water monitoring test results came back that it was high in E. coli, a type of bacteria from fecal matter. It could have been pooping birds or even an upstream homeless encampment’s waste working its way through Phoenix’s elaborate canal system that diverts water from the Colorado River, explained Charlton.

She was leading a group of teachers and students Tuesday attending the first two-day Urban Farming Education Conference, a collaboration with GCU’s College of Natural Sciences, K12 Educational Development and the Phoenix nonprofit Urban Farming Education.

“Because water is used to grow crops, we have to measure its quality,” Charlton said, describing recently finalized government rules through the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Like many of the 150 teachers or students who attended, Williams wants to start a garden at her school, Chandler Traditional Academy-Freedom Campus, and the conference brought university experts, research and resources to do it.

“It will provide a hands-on learning experience and share the impact that nature has,” Williams said of a school garden. “I’ve learned there are so many resources available and so many in the gardening community who are willing to help support you.”

Water quality is just one factor in growing gardens. The conference explored dozens of topics, from composting and the science behind growing seeds to working with nonprofits and grant writing.

Another third-grade teacher at the canal, Silvia Vega of Ethos Academy in Glendale, also wants to start a school garden.

“They can find another vision of the world through a garden and education,” she said. “If you combine those, you also teach them sustainability, how to grow a garden in their own home and save money.”

If it sounds like a trend, it is. Urban Farming Education’s goal was to help start one school or community garden a month. But in the last six months, it’s been double that.

Dr. Joe Roselle, chief operating officer at Urban Farming Education started Agave Farms—the largest community garden in Arizona—which produces more than 1 million pounds of produce for donation while facilitating urban agriculture growth throughout the Valley. He said he’s helping develop curriculum in schools and bringing organizations together to launch gardens sustainably.

“We try to move schools from landscaping to foodscape,” he said. “What we preach is a lot of this stuff is free.”

First they need to develop purpose; often growing food for an entire school is out of reach unless they have sizable acreage. “What we do is advocate for instruction so they can tie into their lessons and make it meaningful that way.”

Bringing in community partners is key as well: “Schools want it because they want hands-on learning; businesses want it because they want to support STEM education,” he added.

That’s where GCU came in; Roselle says GCU “walks the walk” by helping design this first-ever conference with its staff and facilities centered out of Sunset Auditorium.

Dr. Cori Araza noted that organizers brought experts from various institutions including University of Arizona Extension Community entomologist Dr. Shaku Nair; Peter Rillero from ASU West College; alongside GCU faculty such as Drs Adrienne Crawford & Berenise Charlton for panel discussions on Tuesday.

Teachers & students learned how universities could assist with their gardens using AI & drones—innovations shared by MIT student Aiden Muñoz who expressed amazement seeing strawberries thriving despite summer heat during his visit at GCU Garden: "We thought it was impossible...an experience we could learn from."

GCU graduate student Ashlee Romine highlighted additional benefits beyond food production: "Amid concrete buildings/turf...students seek quiet reflection time." Romine emphasized practical aspects too: fast-growing crops build confidence leading towards broader engagement—especially relevant given rising food costs making gardening akin ‘to growing money.’

Nearly 95% occupancy rate reflected popularity among participants which doubled event attendance figures over last academic year according Kim Rillero (Urban Farming Ed program director). Freshly harvested produce fosters communal bonds illustrated poignantly via domestic violence shelter project aiding trauma recovery—a mother finding solace watching children joyfully picking carrots marking healing milestone underscoring empowerment ethos underpinning initiatives aimed fostering self-sufficiency via urban farming endeavors.

Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected]