Duke Campus Farm provides opportunities for learning outside of the traditional classroom through co-curricular programs, projects and collaborations.
For course offerings and other programming involving Duke Campus Farm that provides course credit, please see Course Offerings.
Land and Listen
Land & Listen is a monthly gathering for reflection and relaxation at the Duke Campus Farm. Each gathering begins with conversation around a short piece of environmental poetry by Black, eco-feminist, and queer poets. The loosely-facilitated poetry discussion will be followed by unstructured time on the farm to do crafts, harvest flowers, cartwheel on the grass, explore the farm, and take time to decompress after the week. This program offers space for folks to engage with meditative prose, the land, and each other.
During the spring semester, there will be Land & Listen events on three Fridays from 4:00-5:30 pm:
February 23rd: Black Nature
March 22nd: Eco-feminism
April 26th: Queer ecology
This program is open to all in the Duke community. No background in poetry or experience at the farm is necessary. Signing up is encouraged by visiting the link below. Special shoutout to DCF’s former food and environmental justice associate, Abijah Gattis, for his amazing work in setting the stage for this event. For any questions, please reach out to Mira (mira.polishook@duke.edu or 310795472).
Climate and Sustainability Spring Breakthrough
This year we are proud to partner with the Office of Climate and Sustainability to host a Spring Breakthrough program. Students will engage with several of Duke's interactive learning laboratories (the Duke Forest, Duke Campus Farm, and Sarah P. Duke Gardens) to explore examples of how sustainability and climate action are threaded across Duke's mission and commitments. Students will broaden their sustainability and climate knowledge and reflect on how they can contribute to a more sustainable future and healthier climate through their personal interests at Duke and beyond. Activities will include field work at the Duke Campus Farm, a guided hike along the Shepherd Nature Trail to collect data on herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) in the Forest, munching homemade pizzas with farm produce, a queer ecology workshop in the Duke Gardens, and a World Climate Simulation. Many of activities will take place outdoors with the opportunity for students to get their hands dirty. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.
Alternative Fall Break
The Duke Campus Farm hosts a yearly Alternative Fall Break program for Duke students who are staying on campus or in Durham during Fall or Spring Break. Past programs have included:
- Visiting local farms to broaden perceptions of local agriculture
- Hearing from guest speakers about on everything from GMOs, to racial equity in the food system to dumpster diving
- Basic farm skills, such as seeding, soil health, compost making and beekeeping
- Volunteering at local food access organizations, such as Interfaith Food Shuttle, SEEDS, Meals on Wheels, and Durham Urban Ministries
- Restorative break programs with yoga, art workshops, such as print-making and paper-making, queer ecology and environmental poetry readings, cooking, and bonfires.
Contra Dance
Spring 2024 Contra Dance is april 12 from 7-10pm
Join us each Fall and Spring for our biannual Contra Dance! This community event is free and wholeheartedly welcomes community members, students, staff, faculty, friends, fellow farmers, travelers passing through.... Guided by Eileen Thorsos, a long-time contra caller, and serenaded by Mara Shea on the fiddle and Dean Herington on piano, you will find yourself whisked away into a night of promenading, balancing, and do-si-do-ing with new friends. It's impossible not to come away from this evening beaming!
Duke Create Workshops
This year we're partnering with Duke Arts Create to host workshops on-farm, including linocut printmaking and a cyanotype and flower transfer workshop. Check their website or sign up for their newsletter for regular arts workshop updates.