Organic Vegetable Unit

The Organic Vegetable Unit (OVU) started out small in 2008 with just one acre of the available 10-acre certified organic plot. Currently, three acres are in production, growing over 50 varieties of vegetables to supply the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership. CSA members pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for a box of produce each week from April through December. Extra produce is supplied to the Wildcat Food Pantry on campus for students in need. 

The collaboration brings together students, faculty, local farmers, and other community members who intend to cultivate within the model of small scale organic vegetable production, support the local food movement and promote the wise use of resources.  Its goals are to support local farmers with information, the community with educational workshops, students with valuable management and research skills, and the university campus with fresh produce.

A research objective of the project is to grow, evaluate, and identify the most promising new vegetable varieties in an effort to provide local organic growers with information to help them become more competitive. Community outreach is another goal of the project.

The project was initiated through funding from the Earl Foor Foundation, the CSU, Chico Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD), the AS Sustainability Fund, and the CSU Agricultural Research Initiative (ARI).

Farm-Fresh Food Weekly

Community Supported Agriculture Program

Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model of farming that links consumers directly with the farmer. Members of this CSA will enjoy part of the Organic Vegetable Project’s (OVP) harvest by receiving a share of fresh seasonal vegetables, and sometimes flowers and herbs, each week. Your support helps pay for the OVP’s costs, promotes education, and feeds the local community.

Members commit to supporting the farm financially for the duration of the season, May-December. If you are a student and cannot commit to the duration of the season, you may pick up our fresh produce free of charge at the Hungry Wildcat Food Pantry on campus. Currently, we depend on the financial support of our members to keep the Organic Vegetable Project operating and bringing fresh organic produce to the community.

Become a CSA Member Today!

Aquaponics

Full-Circle Food Chain Aquaponic Food Production

Losses of arable land in combination with a growing population have been an impetus for developing new approaches for growing food efficiently in controlled environments. Aquaponics is a combined system of hydroponics (cultivating crops in water) and aquaculture (fish production). Effluent from the fish is treated with microorganisms to biologically transform organic matter into mineral nutrients. The plants extract the nutrients, and the water is recirculated back to the fish tank. Aquaponic systems usually require only 10% of the water necessary to grow similar crops outdoors and can produce as much as 20 times field-crop yields in the same amount of space.

The Aquaponics Unit at the University Farm at Chico State was funded by a $15,000 Student Fee Grant. It was constructed in a refurbished hoop-style plastic greenhouse. Like the related Soldier Fly project, it was designed and built by mechanical engineering students as a senior project. 

It comprises six arrays of pipes, each capable of supporting the growth of 340 plants. When it is fully planted out, one array will be harvested and replanted every six weeks. 

For that reason, we have chosen plants such as lettuce, spinach, mustard, basil, and other species that can be harvested during a short six-week cycle. As of last summer (2018) the aquaponics unit is certified for organic production.

Eventually, the Aquaponics Unit and Soldier Fly research will help create a full-circle food chain right on campus. Pre-consumer food waste from the cafeteria will provide food for the Soldier Fly larvae used to feed the fish. (They are currently fed organic fish food.)

The fish tanks set in the ground outside the greenhouse and the plants inside the greenhouse are connected by circulating water. Water containing effluent from the fish is pumped to a biofilter where it is treated with bacteria that convert ammonium nitrogen in the water to nitrate nitrogen, a more suitable nutrient for the plants. The water flows to the plants where they extract the nutrients they need. This cleans up the water which is then circulated back to the fish. The plants grown could then provide food for the campus back at the cafeteria.

The project gives ample opportunity for compiling data on best practices. It's a complicated process that requires maintaining a delicate balance. If there are too many fish relative to plants, the plants won't be able to sufficiently extract the nutrients, and the fish may die. If there are too few fish, the plants will be nutrient deficient. We are also experimenting with leaving soil roots from previous plantings intact when planting new seeds. The idea is similar to no-till practices in soil that allow the microbes that attach to the roots to remain viable.

Mushroom Project

The Mushroom Unit is a permanent demonstration site for students, as well as a production and research site. This unit provides an excellent opportunity for all students to get their hands on the growing diversity of edible mushrooms.

With its first harvest in August 2021, the Mushroom Unit produced button and crimini mushrooms for sale through the Organic Vegetable Project's weekly farm stand.