Last week, a small herd of goats paid a visit to Swarthmore’s farm prototype — and they weren’t just there to look cute. The goats were brought in as part of an effort to explore sustainable ways of managing farmland.
As natural grazers with an appetite for weeds, goats make for an environmentally friendly alternative to mechanical clearing or chemical herbicides. As they graze, they also fertilize the soil, contributing valuable nutrients and helping to create healthier growing conditions for future crops.
For those unfamiliar with the farm prototype, it is a small space located just beyond the Crum Woods dedicated to exploring what a future Swarthmore campus farm could look like. Established in 2023 through the President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship (PSRF), the prototype grew out of the Farm Feasibility Study and currently serves as a living laboratory where students and faculty can engage directly with the land.
For the past two summers, students have conducted biology research at the site, learning about how invertebrates can indicate soil health under the guidance of Associate Professor of Biology Jose-Luis Machado and Assistant Professor of Engineering Sintana Vergara.
This fall, Anoushka Narendra ’26 is continuing that research. “Working at the farm is really great because unexpected things can happen that you will need to investigate,” they said. For example, when pests broke out this summer, they discovered their own interest in pest dynamics and disease ecology. While most might see a pest outbreak as a setback, Narendra saw it as a learning opportunity. Beyond the scientific insights, Narendra noted that the hands-on nature of the farm has been especially meaningful.
“Physical labor is really satisfying,” they said, adding that “it’s fulfilling to grow things and work with your hands.”
Ecological research is just one of the many ways students could engage with an educational farm. When surveyed about potential curricular tie-ins, faculty from across departments expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of having a farm on campus. They suggested future projects, including growing Indigenous crops for environmental science courses, cultivating plants for natural dyes in art, and offering a place for classes to reflect on how food reaches our tables.
Many institutions, including Haverford College, already have campus farms that provide these kinds of hands-on, interdisciplinary learning opportunities. While Swarthmore has the potential to join them, several obstacles remain, including questions of management and funding.
Despite these obstacles, we have the farm prototype. While small, its impact on me has been profound. Working on the prototype gave me a stronger connection to the land and a sense of shared community — experiences that I feel are often missing at Swarthmore.
As the current PSRF fellow leading the Farm Feasibility Study, I’m motivated by this experience and am working to develop a comprehensive plan to help turn years of advocacy into reality — a reality that includes more hands touching the soil our food grows in and hopefully more visits from goats.
To me, the goats represent more than just a commitment to sustainable agriculture — their visit highlights one of the many creative, community-based approaches a campus farm could offer. The goats have since returned home, but their brief visit left the land refreshed. Sustainable agriculture can take many forms, and sometimes, it looks like a few friendly goats doing what they do best.
