On Dec. 1, 2012, an empty plot of land behind Parking Lot 30 was transformed into what we know today as the R’Garden, or the University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) community garden. It was a joint effort by UCR student organizations, Sustainable UCR and Cultivate R’Space.
In 2008, similar efforts were spearheaded to fund and create a separate community garden through Sustainable UCR and the Salvation Army, but the latter organization withdrew its support. However, to offset start-up costs, UCR Chancellor Timothy White made a one-time fund of $145,723 available, as he believed, “The power of our students is … really the organic piece of our university, along with the power of our faculty.”
In light of potential foreclosure, the R’Garden has been rallying for student and community support for years. R’Garden workers have hit the streets in protest, spoken to various local officials and have been working on a referendum to boost funding since 2022.
This year, during the ASUCR elections for the 2025-2026 school year, the R’Garden referendum fell through yet again. The R’Garden lost support simply because only 17.6 percent of students turned out to vote, not meeting the 20 percent minimum voter turnout for the referendum to pass.
On May 12, 2025, in a post on their Instagram, the R’Garden released a message asking for support from those at UCR as well as the greater Riverside community:
“As a last ditch effort to save the R’Garden, we are asking students, staff/faculty, alumni, and the general public to contact the UCR Dean’s Offices to urge them to step in and SAVE the R’Garden.” Their goal is to “offer UCR students fresh produce and educational opportunities” while remaining a “permanent resource.”
Less than two weeks later, as students took to the inboxes of administrative officials, Dean of College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS), Peter W. Atkinson released a statement on behalf of campus leadership: “In the short term, CNAS is working with campus leadership to explore bridge funding options that could sustain operations through the next academic year. CNAS is also prepared to continue supporting R’Garden by extending the use of land, water and other agricultural resources such that the operation of R’Garden can continue until a new referendum can be put to a student body vote in 2025-26.”
This does not mean that the battle is over. In fact, student activism in colleges is not new. For years, student activists have gathered in solidarity to oppose wars, call for research funding and seek out free speech. And in many instances they won.
Now is not the time to start pulling back from sending emails to the administration calling for attention to the R’Garden. Students, faculty and community members all around have to double down until funding is guaranteed. It would be all too simple for the administration to revoke their offer of a “bridge funding option” for the R’Garden, so the spotlight on their struggle has to remain until stability is guaranteed.
So, until confirmation is received from the CNAS department that they have secured funding for the R’Garden for the duration of the 2025-2026 school year, here is a draft email to send to them.
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CC: milly.paredez@ucr.edu, chancellor@ucr.edu, vcsa@ucr.edu, sustainability@ucr.edu
Subject: SAVE the R’Garden
Dear Dean Atkinson,
I hope this email finds you well. My name is [First Name Last Name], and I am a student at the University of California, Riverside. I am writing to express my strong support for maintaining the funding for the R’Garden. Since its foundation in 2012, the R’Garden has become an integral part of the UCR experience.
I strongly urge you to continue looking for alternative funding methods, internal to the university, to continue funding this space of learning and food security. I do not believe that it is possible for me to succeed as a student with the looming fear of food insecurity, as living costs in California rise. Whether it is affecting me or a loved one, the threat of food insecurity is all too real, and it is important for these resources to be available to us.
Without the R’Garden, my worries are exacerbated. The R’Garden offers fresh produce to all who drop by, regardless of food insecurity status, making it one of the most — if not the most — accessible resources on campus. No questions asked, no debts owed; the R’Garden is there to support all.
The R’Garden is a place where students have the opportunity to learn about issues in the community and around the world, such as food insecurity, environmental justice and what it means to farm sustainably. Not only has it offered various learning opportunities through programs like College Corps, but it also aims to foster a connection within the community through various outreach events.
The loss of the garden means the loss of events such as the Fall Harvest Festival, the R’Garden Rockout and other workshops such as the vermicomposting workshop or seed bombing event.
As a UCR student, I feel it is my responsibility to advocate on behalf of this integral resource. Without the R’Garden, UCR cannot continue to advertise itself in good faith as a low-income and minority-serving institution when this garden has fed countless students on campus.
If the R’Garden is not funded, it’s a loss to UCR as a whole.
We, as a student body, are holding you, as administrators, accountable. Please let us and the whole campus community know when you have confirmed funding for the R’Garden.
Best,
[First Name Last Name]
