Rotational Grazing: Chicken Soil Engineers in Gardens & Pastures

Integrating chickens and other livestock into the garden can benefit everyone. By allowing them to do what they do at just the right time and place, we can create more sustainable food systems. This type of rotational grazing system can be implemented on many different scales, from silvopastures to backyard gardens. It also demonstrates how cyclic disturbance and ecological succession can be used in agroecological systems around the world.

__

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate a variety of food production systems and engage the community in sustainable & ethical land management. It is intended to provide food as well as interdisciplinary educational opportunities for people of all ages & backgrounds.

People of all ages and backgrounds reside on campus and participate in farming and gardening activities as part of their education. We hope to create more productive outdoor learning spaces and opportunities to demonstrate ideas such as agroecology, permaculture, and sustainable food production.

Some of the work we want to demonstrate are so-called “alternative” or “non-conventional” agricultural practices. These include disciplines such as agroecology (agriculture that mimics natural ecological systems), permaculture (sustainable & self-sufficient design), regenerative agriculture (conservation approach that focuses on topsoil regeneration, biodiversity, improving water cycle, biosequestration, & mitigating climate change), agroforestry & silvopasture (integration of trees & shrubs with animals), organic agriculture (growing & processing food without the use of synthetic fertilizers & pesticides), and food sovereignty (the right to healthy & culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound & sustainable methods), among others.

This YouTube channel and these videos are for educational purposes and for my own personal documentation of various projects.