University of Louisiana at Lafayette
IN-7: Community Garden

The University has a cooperative agreement with the Lafayette Parish Master Gardener Association and LSU Ag Center. A 1/2 acre of University property is reserved for the purposes of educating Lafayette and surrounding areas about horticulture and environmental stewardship through the transmission of factual, research-based information, and growing a vibrant, green, and healthy community through Horticulture Education. The group utilizes the property for vegetable gardens, fruit trees and bushes, pollinator gardens, enabled gardens for people with physical limitations, childrens' garden, propagation, composting, and classes. The Master Gardeners are supported by the University's Ira Nelson Horticulture Center staff and the gardens and classes are open to the public. (https://www.lpmga.org/projects.html)

In addition to our co-op program with Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners Association, we utilize our campus as a productive, urban forest. Throughout campus, fruit and nut trees are planted along high-traffic bike and pedestrian paths, as well as on our campus border with Lafayette's most popular public park. Citrus, fig, pear, and peach trees are planted each year through our Trees for Threes program.

The Offices of Sustainability, Global Engagement, and Graduate School worked with students to install a community vegetable and pollinator garden in the courtyard of Cajun Village, the on-campus graduate and family housing. The garden started with four raised beds to be maintained by residents of Cajun Village and free for them to grow, harvest, and use. Due to popularity among the families living in Cajun Village, additional raised beds were built for families to reserve sections for their family.