San Jose State University
IN-7: Community Garden

The Campus Community Garden (CCG) at San Jose State University was founded in 2012 and is conveniently located at San Jose State University’s main campus across from the Dining Commons and Housing Campus Village. The CCG was a project initiated by the campus-wide Student Hunger committee as an effort to address student hunger by providing fresh, free and accessible food for students. The garden is on a quarter acre of land and it includes over sixty different plant species from perennial fruit trees and flowers to annual vegetable crops, a composting system, grey water system, and is chemical-free (organic).

Since its founding, the CCG has evolved into a space that not only addresses food insecurity among college students but as a space that cultivates community, learning, and critical thinking as it relates to multiculturalism and environmental justice.

There have been over 1,300 student volunteers; 9,000 volunteer hours per academic semester are given; there was an installation of Dolores Huerta mural in the Garden in Summer 2018; the garden was awarded the California State University Basic Needs Initiative Community Garden Funding in March 2019; there was a vertical gardening installation led by Operations and Social Justice Assistant, Michelle Domocol in Spring 2019 to increase CCG space by 30%; a solar panel system installation was led and implemented by CCG volunteers and CCG Program Assistant, Miguel Leptoure; and there are 5-6 programs and event per academic semester focused on community building and critical thinking related to environmental justice.

Events and workshops held by the garden are open to all off-campus community members. The garden is open to local community members to grow their own food, but space is given priority to students and SJSU faculty and staff.