Edible Tree Tours

For the past several years, The Department of Nutritional Sciences (NSC) at the University of Arizona (UA) has partnered with the UA chapter of Linking Edible Arizona Forests (UALEAF) and Iskashitaa Refugee Network (IRN) in a variety of food related projects. Through the course NSC 395a: Experiential Learning in Nutritional Sciences, IRN hosted two interns from this class which created a beneficial experience for both organizations. Students explored sustainability issues through the intersection of food insecurity, local food harvesting, and food preservation, and through this collaboration, attention was brought to local edible trees as well as food waste. With over 100 species of edible trees and a fruitful desert climate, there is so much that the community can gain from an intentional lesson about their surroundings.