Stanford Earth Launches An Educational Farm for “the Farm”

In 2014 the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences established the O’Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm on six acres near the university’s historic Red Barn. The project comes out of nearly 20 years of student and faculty advocacy to develop a learning farm on “the Farm.”

The educational program embodies Stanford’s commitment to addressing the critical environmental and social challenges of the 21st century. Feeding future generations in a way that sustains our planet’s environment and resources will require leadership versed in the theory and practice of agricultural sustainability—the kind of leadership that will grow on the farm.

Initiated with the generous support of Laura and Kevin O’Donohue, MBA ‘87, the farm is a living laboratory offering academic and experiential learning opportunities for the Stanford community and beyond. It utilizes agro-ecological relationships and natural diversity to grow over 200 varieties of vegetables, flowers, herbs, field crops, and fruit. Through research, students test new ideas about the biological, social, and environmental aspects of farming and gain hands-on experience with the practice of sustainable agriculture.

The farm expects to harvest over 20,000 pounds of produce annually. Crops will feed into a new farm-to-campus program, with fresh vegetables featured at Residential & Dining Enterprises Stanford Dining, in campus cafes, and at the Teaching Kitchen @ Stanford.