Pomona College Organic Farm
Encyclopedia
The Pomona College Organic Farm is an experimental Permaculture
project located in the southeast corner of the Pomona College
campus in Claremont, California.
book The One Straw Revolution provided the initial inspiration. The first crop planted at the farm was tomatoes, and since its creation the number and diversity of plant species at the farm has increased quickly.
, where students learned about earth architecture from renowned architect Nader Khalili
.
Following this visit, a group of students and community members built an earth dome at the farm during spring and summer of 2002. At the end of August 2002, the Pomona College administration gave the order to demolish the dome on the grounds that it was not permitted and as a result the city of Claremont was threatening to levy large fines for an unpermitted structure. This prompted a two-year process of getting permit approval from the city and county for a new design.
The permitting process was completed by the start of 2004, and construction of the dome foundation, which had begun in early 2002 but was put on hold, resumed. The foundation was poured in 2004, and the main structural elements of the dome were completed by students and community members during the 2004-2005 school year.
Permaculture
Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that is modeled on the relationships found in nature. It is based on the ecology of how things interrelate rather than on the strictly biological concerns that form the foundation of modern agriculture...
project located in the southeast corner of the Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
campus in Claremont, California.
History
The Pomona College Organic Farm was created by a group of three friends in 1998 in order to create an atmosphere suitable for relaxing amongst the complexity and stress of Pomona College campus life . Masanobu Fukuoka'sMasanobu Fukuoka
was a Japanese farmer and philosopher celebrated for his natural farming and re-vegetation of desertified lands. He was a proponent of no-till, no-herbicide grain cultivation farming methods traditional to many indigenous cultures, from which he created a particular method of farming, commonly...
book The One Straw Revolution provided the initial inspiration. The first crop planted at the farm was tomatoes, and since its creation the number and diversity of plant species at the farm has increased quickly.
Earth Dome II
The Earth Dome II Project has redefined the scope and community base of the farm. The project began in 2001 following a visit by an EA50 class (Introduction to Environmental Analysis) to CalEarth in HesperiaHesperia, California
Hesperia is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the Mojave Desert north of San Bernardino. The locals refer to the surrounding area as the High Desert...
, where students learned about earth architecture from renowned architect Nader Khalili
Nader Khalili
Nader Khalili was an Iranian-born architect, writer, and humanitarian who received his philosophical and architectural education in Iran, Turkey, and the United States....
.
Following this visit, a group of students and community members built an earth dome at the farm during spring and summer of 2002. At the end of August 2002, the Pomona College administration gave the order to demolish the dome on the grounds that it was not permitted and as a result the city of Claremont was threatening to levy large fines for an unpermitted structure. This prompted a two-year process of getting permit approval from the city and county for a new design.
The permitting process was completed by the start of 2004, and construction of the dome foundation, which had begun in early 2002 but was put on hold, resumed. The foundation was poured in 2004, and the main structural elements of the dome were completed by students and community members during the 2004-2005 school year.