Imagined Glassboro Mural Project: Evolution of Agriculture in Glassboro

Personal Reflection

This project was something that was important for me to due in order to feel more in touch with the climate at Rowan. Farming was a huge part of my life before I moved to Rowan. Through talking to local farmers and learning more about agriculture in my new home, my perception of Rowan as a place has changed. As a Political Science major, this was not a project I typically would have been able to do. One surprising part of the project came from examining farming through multiple lenses. Esther taught me about Glassboro agriculture in a way that no one else could have becasue of her personal relationship with Summit City Farms. Esther also witnessed all of the major developments and expansion of Rowan which pushed her family to declare their farms as preserved land. Dr. Lowman, on the other hand, was able to tell me about farming from the perspective of the University. Although the University and surrounding farms may occasionally push against each other, I learned that both are looking forward to finding new ways to coexist and sustain each other into the future. They have already started to do so through President Houshmand’s Hot Sauce operation, which brings Rowan students and Glassboro farming together in a new and exciting way. This is a cultural shift that I wasn’t expecting to encounter before I spoke to local farmers and heard how much pride they took in growing the peppers and in turn, how much pride President Houshmand takes in using Glassboro grown peppers.
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