A sector of the UC Berkeley's Gill Tract farm consists of a demonstration/participatory site, outreach and ecological program that uses ecologically-based pest management (EBPM) at the research center. Ecologically-based pest management includes: intercropping, companion planting and integration of flowering plants as a means of increasing beneficial insect populations and biodiversity to help increase the sustainability of the garden/plots. Local community members manage 10 X 10 meter diversified gardens.  Each family/member can manage the plots differently.  The plots are monitored and each family can then gain an understanding of why certain garden designs and management techniques perform differently (in terms of yield, pests population ,etc). The quantification of various communities of insects  is conducted through direct counting, sticky traps and collecting of various life stage forms of insects. These data collected is analyzed to determine percent parasitism and mean population. Crop yields will also be estimated  by sampling plants in each particular plot.

Each plot started with the same baseline intercropping mixture.  Thereafter, each participant had the option of changing the baseline by adding additional components, including flowers, organic manure mixtures and watering patterns. Based on the above different management types, the weed and insect pest populations in each plot has shown significant differentials. Subsequently, the biomass of the crop planting per plot shows significant differences between plots. We expect yield differentials to appear during the harvest season. The diversity of management approaches will allow the testing of the effects of different farming methods on pest population and the resulting effects on plant health and final productivity of the particular plot. Community participation empowers people to realize that they can have the opportunity to produce healthy fresh vegetables, thus creating food security, avoiding wasteful distribution costs, and lowering energy consumption and transportation costs. The mutual interaction of the participants allows people to exchange information and also asses why certain EBPM techniques work better than others, all this reflected in crop yields. The educational benefits are immense, considering that participants belong to different age groups where parents and kids can work together the land. Dissemination of projects results to other community gardens and general public is performed through open house days available to the general public. The process of farming at this scale teaches that self-sufficient urban farming is feasible without the use of insecticides and other industrial chemicals.

Use Renewable Resources

Organic composting as an input.

Minimize Toxics

Use of insects for the control of  pest management and organic composting eliminates the need for industrial agriculture inputs into the soil.

Conserve Resources

Use of drip irrigation minimizes the consumption of water.

Manage Ecological Relationships

Ecosystem interaction between plants and insects.

Adjust to Local Environments

Selection of crops that perform better in this particular environment.

Diversify

The use of a variety of plant crops  and flowers allows for mutual beneficial interactions.

Empower People

People become aware of their capabilities  for growing their own food.

Maximize Long-Term Benefits

Conservation of soil health, for present and future use in agriculture.

Value Health

Eating organic food enhances peoples health.

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