Achieving program goals? An evaluation of two decades of the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at the University of California, Santa Cruz

Jan Perez,Linnea Beckett,Damian Parr

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2010.011.012

Abstract

The Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture (AEH) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has been teaching people organic and ecological horticulture for 43 years. This paper examines the extent to which the program has met the goals of growing farmers and gardeners, and contributing to change in the food system. It also explores specific programmatic ways the AEH contributed to these outcomes. We surveyed program alumni from 1989 through 2008. Findings suggest that the program has successfully met its goals. According to alumni suggestions, the primary way the program contributed to these outcomes was by developing apprentice knowledge and skills through hands-on activities. In addition, other educational components, not always explicitly addressed in similar programs, were also key. We use different learning theories to help understand the AEH’s success and make recommendations for similar programs.

Highlights

The Apprenticeship Program in Ecological Horticulture (AEH) is a world-renowned program situated within the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)
The desired action outcomes are defined as those that accomplish the overarching goal of the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture (AEH) and serve the mission of CASFS, and so we examine whether past apprentices are “farming and gardening” and working broadly to create a more sustainable food system
We looked at several types of action outcomes that meet the different goals of the AEH program and that serve the CASFS mission

Summary

Introduction

The Apprenticeship Program in Ecological Horticulture (AEH) is a world-renowned program situated within the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). As of 2009, there were 164 colleges or universities offering education or training in sustainable food systems topics in the U.S (compiled from Thompson, 2009) This number does not include the many nonprofit and independent organizations, and informal apprenticeships and internships that exist. Chadwick introduced a form of organic gardening called the “biodynamic/ French intensive” method He led UCSC students and others in an effort that historically could be considered one of the initiators of the organic farming and gardening movement in the U.S (Brown, 2000)

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