Iskashitaa Community Garden Project

The Iskashitaa Community Garden Project is a community-based urban agriculture initiative pairing University of Arizona students with Tucson-area United Nations refugees and asylum seekers to address food insecurity, social isolation, and cultural exchange. Building on a 10-week participatory study in the experiential learning garden, students partnered with the Iskashitaa Refugee Network to integrate refugees into the local community through food-based programs. Supported by the Peter and Pat Hirschman University-Community Research Partnership Fund, the project utilized one of Tucson's oldest organic urban gardens as a living laboratory for sustainable desert food production, utilizing rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, and composting. Working alongside community partners, volunteers, and residents, participants integrated research, public engagement, and hands-on agriculture to explore how urban agriculture can serve as a platform for social justice, sustainability, and cross-cultural understanding.