The UW Farm currently supplies the UW Food Pantry and greater community with produce each year. As the climate changes, the increasing discrepancy between demand during the academic year and the summer growing season is resulting in inadequate supply. Climate impacts to the UW campus are already felt by the Farm in extremes of moisture, heat, and cold that reduce crop output. The Resiliency Tunnel team aims to adapt to these impacts with the creation of a modified north-wall high tunnel; a highly efficient structure often used in colder climates and USDA-approved method for season extension. The Resiliency Tunnel team shares the ambitious goal of creating an agricultural high tunnel structure and landscape that sustainably and respectfully gives back to the community and surrounding areas, with three key pillars: 1) Sustainability and Resiliency 2) Education 3) Cultural Reciprocity.
In 2020, inclement weather spoiled over 1,800 pounds of produce at the UW Farm - roughly 15% of annual production. The proposed high tunnel is intended to protect crops and extend the production season by multiple months, eliminating the need to quickly harvest spoiling crops in extreme weather using single-use plastic bags to deliver to the UW Food Pantry. The execution and operation of this plan will notably contribute towards action VI of the UW Sustainability Action Plan, involving a target that 35% of campus food is from local sources by 2025.
A solar installation and rainwater catchment system will mitigate the structure’s reliance on utilities, increasing the resilience of the food-energy system to future disruption. A rammed earth wall will assist with temperature regulation, and sustainable, locally-sourced materials will be implemented at all possible levels of construction. The efficiency of the structure itself will boost the financial sustainability of the UW Farm over time with decreased utility costs and diminished need to rent growing space in colder months from the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH), as well as increased revenue from produce.
Produce from the UW Farm is delivered to three sectors: 1) sold to multiple UW dining locations; 2) a weekly paid subscription box, or Community Supported Agriculture (CSA); and 3) regular donations to UW Food Pantry. The tunnel will enable the UW Farm to better capture produce with high nutritional value and ensure it reaches food-insecure populations. Once implemented, the facility will allow the Farm to increase yields by an estimated 4,000 pounds of produce throughout the year.