Welcome to the R'Garden!
We at the R'Garden are committed to increasing local food access in Riverside, and establishing UCR's role in a sustainable food system! It is our mission to gives students, faculty, and community members the resources they need to foster environmentally and socially conscious connections within UCR and the greater Inland Empire.
The R'Garden held its grand opening on December 1, 2012 after a two-year pilot program spearheaded by student organizations Sustainable UCR and Cultivate R'Space. Students advocated for the space on the basis of 3 goals:
- Allow students to grow their own food.
- Raise awareness of food and environmental injustice.
- Create a green community.
Since then, these goals have allowed R'garden to become a stage for student actors to bloom into local leaders. We work closely with multiple departments and programming on campus, as well as involvement with local non-profits and organizations to expand the reach of UCR as a land grant university.
Who are We?
In 2012, when the student organization's Sustainable UCR and Cultivate R'Space organized the campaign "Where's R'Garden?" we got the first glimpse of how influential UCR students can be to accomplishing big goals!
Mangement at the R'Garden has been the fruit of this labor, beginning with the hiring of UCR Alumni Fortino Morales as coordinator in 2012, who has since been named Sustainability Manager for the City of Riverside in 2024. Following him was Richard Zapien, who as an agricultural professional expanded the R'Garden's reach, and secured a monumental sponsorship from the Orange County Farm Bureau for operational investments such as tractor equipment and garden vehicles.
Most recently, the hiring of another UCR Alumni, Crystal Brachetti, as manager has followed suit with the tradition of the space being for students and ran by students. In addition, Amy Litt, Associate Professor and Plant Evolution & Develop Biologist, has also joined the team with a focus on strengthening the link between the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) and the R'Garden.