My name is Kayla Laddin, and I am a senior majoring in Community, Environment, and Development, with minors in Sustainability Leadership and International Agriculture. I have had the immense pleasure of collaborating with the Student Farm on a few projects this semester!
Sustainable agriculture and food systems are topics I have studied a lot, and I wanted more hands-on experiences working with my local food system. Getting my hands dirty and working on the Student Farm and greenhouses has been one of the highlights of my time at Penn State. I have been able to spend more time outdoors, meet new people with similar passions, and learn more about sustainable agriculture techniques. This experience has deepened my understanding of agriculture and respect for those who contribute to our food systems.
One of my passions is learning how mindfulness, spirituality, and wellness intersect with sustainability and sustainable food systems. Being a yoga instructor and practicing Bhakti yogi, I became very fascinated by how herbal teas have been used in Ayurvedic medicine and science for centuries to heal the body. This led me to create a project all about herbal teas and their medicinal properties. I grew over 12 different types of herbal teas in the Student Farm greenhouse and researched their wellness and medicinal benefits. I presented this project at the Garden Grow-How event in March alongside other students and community members. I talked about how to grow these herbal teas at home, why this is sustainable and all the potential benefits. Knowing how to heal ourselves naturally is powerful and important for our mental and physical well-being.
I additionally researched how herbal teas have been used throughout history and adapted by diverse cultures around the world. All this information is on the Herbal Teas webpage on the Student Farm Website. Being able to share this information with other Penn State students and community members was exciting, and I even got to host the table again at the Student Farm Earth Day Celebration on April 20th.
I have been working on a qualitative research project focused on Penn State students’ experiences dealing with food insecurity on campus. I conducted 4 key informant interviews asking students to tell their stories. These interviews provide insights into the student’s experience with food insecurity, their challenges, and the resources on campus they are using to help mitigate them. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to present this research at the 2024 Northeast Student Farmer Conference at the beginning of April to other college students engaged in their local food systems. Following the presentation, we had an open conversation for people to share their experiences and explore more ways to engage with the local food system to combat food insecurity on campus. Having conversations about this particularly important topic was my ultimate goal for this project. I am excited to continue to share this information with students and connect more people to food security resources in the area.
