Executive Summary
The UW Farm supplies the UW Food Pantry and greater community with produce each year, but as the climate changes, the increasing discrepancy between demand during the academic year and the summer growing season is resulting in inadequate supply. Climate impacts to the UW campus are already felt by the Farm, in the form of extremes of moisture, heat, and cold that reduce crop output: in 2020 inclement weather spoiled over 1,800 pounds of produce at the UW Farm, roughly 15% of their annual production. Our solution revolves around a high tunnel, a USDA-approved method for season extension, to protect crops and extend the production season by multiple months while providing an educational space for the community. The project further incorporates small-scale solar and rainwater catchment systems, creating a sustainable and resilient space for long term benefit. The Resiliency Tunnel team of undergraduates, graduates, and faculty share the ambitious goal of creating an agricultural structure and landscape that sustainably and respectfully gives back to the community and surrounding areas, with three key pillars: 1) Sustainability and Resilience, 2) Education, and 3) Cultural Reciprocity.