Edible Landscapes

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Policy Number:
UW-6046
Old Policy Number:
G-26
Responsible Office:
Campus Planning & Landscape Architecture

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

Establishing consistent implementation and maintenance expectations of edible landscapes across campus creates a fair and efficient process for evaluating and reviewing areas to be maintained by those other than the typical campus land managers. The expectations set forth will help limit additional operational burdens on the university-operating budget, and maintain our high level of landscape aesthetics, while allowing this important learning process to occur.

Definitions:
Edible landscape
The practice of incorporating food-producing plants into the landscape. Vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers can be combined to create an attractive design that produces vegetables for personal consumption.
Urban agriculture
  • Growing or producing large quantities of food in a city or heavily populated town or municipality.
  • Assumes a level of commerce, growing the product to be sold to produce revenue, as opposed to being grown for personal consumption or to be shared.
  • Agriculture (large or small) is usually a heavily regulated activity – Producing safe food for people to eat is a big responsibility and not to be entered into without a great deal of thought and planning.
  • Most often sold fresh and local, which saves on overall food transportation costs.
Policy:

Administration of the permit process by Facilities Planning & Management (FP&M) – Physical Plant, Campus Planning & Landscape Architecture.

Applicability

  • Any group of students, staff & faculty affiliated with UW–Madison, and sponsored by a UW–Madison department, that wants to create an edible landscape to share the harvest with the community at large.
  • Groups not affiliated with UW–Madison and sponsored by a UW–Madison department, are not eligible to apply for a permit.
  • Gardening activities located at the Eagle Heights Community Gardens, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Plots (including F. H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture and the GreenHouse Learning Community),  Allen Centennial Gardens, and the Botany Garden are exempt; they are managed by the Garden Oversight Committee and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Department of Horticulture, and Botany Department.
  • This applies to all land of the UW–Madison campus, including courtyards within buildings.
  • Areas inside buildings are exempt.
  • This does not affect any other research program.
  • If an Urban Agriculture project (producing food with a commercial value, for large-scale use on campus, or for donating to those in need) is requested, it will need to go through the FP&M project planning process and be approved by the Campus Planning Committee.

An annual application for a permit is required.

Completion of the permit application, any additional information requested, and the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) are required prior to any fieldwork.

Consequences for Noncompliance

Should anyone plant unapproved edible landscapes on the UW–Madison campus, they will be removed by FP&M and the cost charged to the group or individuals responsible.

Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:
External References:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration
Policy Manager:
Landscape Architect, Adv.
Contact:
Landscape Architect, Adv. -- Rhonda James, rhonda.james@wisc.edu
Building & Grounds Superintendent -- Ellen Agnew, ellen.agnew@wisc.edu, (608) 262-7266
Effective Date:
10-01-2017
Revised Dates:

08-01-2020; 02-08-2021, revision effective 03-01-2021, 03-21-2022

Reviewed Dates:

02-08-2021

Retrieved:
04-27-2024 03:24:00