Once or twice a year, undergraduate students from Cal Poly and/or UW-Madison’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences travel to Kumanzimdaka with Michael Bell and Valerie Stull of the LAND Project. These trips intend to teach students about the social and environmental history of South Africa, the basics of agroecology, and urban and rural health. In the past, students learn about urban agriculture initiatives in Johannesburg, led agricultural education camps for kids in Elliot, conducted rapid rural assessment surveys, constructed two spring water catchment systems, and worked side-by-side with school children to cultivate the garden at the Manzimdanka Primary School.
Service learning work is an important part of these international experiences. Projects are selected through a longstanding relationship between the LAND Project’s collaborator, the non-profit organization Kidlinks World Inc., and the local community. Service provides an opportunity for learning exchange and relationship-building between students and community members.
Students are selected for these trips from a pool of applicants. If you interested in learning more about our student trips or joining us on our next adventure, please visit our UW Study Abroad page.
The LAND project 