15.2.2 Sustainably farmed food on campus

Summary

In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) had a policy in place to ensure that food on campus is sustainably farmed. The Srinakharinwirot University Announcement on the Policy on the Sustainable Sourcing of Food and Agricultural Products was signed by the President, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cholvit Jearajit, and announced on 31 March B.E. 2568 (A.D. 2025), so the policy was created within the period 2022–2026. It covers all food prepared or sold on campus, from vegetables, fruits and grains to meat, eggs and milk, and applies to every University cafeteria, restaurant, food and beverage outlet, catering service and food supplier. The policy gives priority to farms that conserve soil, water and biodiversity, prefers produce certified under Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), organic or equivalent standards, and encourages seasonal food from small-scale farmers, community enterprises and local producers. It also requires traceability records, sustainable sourcing criteria in Terms of Reference and food service contracts, annual monitoring and reporting, and publication of the policy on the University’s website. In the same year, SWU’s CCAS FARM Organic Agriculture Learning Center grew organic food for the campus community and trained staff and local people in sustainable food production.

Policy at a glance

1. Policy on Sustainably Farmed Food on Campus

1.1 Policy statement

The policy opens with a clear commitment to sustainably farmed food on campus. Its preamble states:

“Srinakharinwirot University recognizes the importance of sustainably sourcing food and agricultural products, with due consideration for consumer safety, the responsible use of natural resources, biodiversity conservation, and the reduction of environmental impacts associated with food production. The University is committed to promoting the sourcing of food prepared or sold on campus from agricultural producers and livestock farms that adopt sustainable management practices, maintain appropriate production standards, and ensure the traceability of their products.”

1.2 Key commitments

The policy sets out 11 operational guidelines. Those that most directly ensure that food on campus is sustainably farmed are:

• Scope covering all food on campus (Clause 1). The policy applies to University cafeterias, restaurants, food and beverage outlets, catering service providers and food suppliers, and gives priority to farms that comply with the law, act responsibly towards the environment and manage natural resources well.

• Sustainable crop production (Clause 2). Vegetables, fruits and grains should come from farms that conserve soil and water, reduce agricultural chemicals, manage pests appropriately and protect biodiversity, with preference for products certified under Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), organic farming standards or equivalent.

• Sustainable livestock products (Clause 3). Meat, eggs and milk should come from legally operated farms that uphold animal welfare and minimise environmental impacts, with preference for GAP-certified livestock farms.

• Protection of land ecosystems (Clause 4). The University will not support products linked to illegal deforestation, destruction of natural habitats or farming that seriously damages ecosystems.

• Seasonal and local food (Clause 5). The University encourages seasonal produce and sourcing from small-scale farmers, community enterprises and local producers that farm sustainably.

• Traceability (Clause 6). Suppliers and food service operators must keep records such as supplier details, delivery notes and certification documents, which the University may request for verification.

• Food safety and sanitation (Clause 7). All food and agricultural products prepared or sold on campus must meet food quality and safety laws and the University’s Food Sanitation Requirements for Food and Beverage Outlets, with hygienic handling from ingredient selection to serving.

• Sustainable sourcing in contracts (Clause 8). Sustainable food sourcing criteria are written into procurement specifications, Terms of Reference and contracts with food service operators.

• Food waste reduction (Clause 9). Food loss and waste are reduced, and organic waste is reused, for example as compost.

• Monitoring and reporting (Clause 10). University units monitor implementation, collect data on the proportion of food sourced from sustainable producers and prepare annual implementation reports.

• Awareness and public disclosure (Clause 11). The University raises awareness of sustainable food among students, staff and food operators, and publicly discloses the policy and evidence of its implementation on the official website.

1.3 Policy review and public access

The policy was signed by the President, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cholvit Jearajit, and announced on 31 March B.E. 2568 (A.D. 2025), and it takes effect from that date. Clause 10 requires relevant units to monitor implementation, to collect data on the quantity or proportion of food sourced from sustainable producers and to prepare annual implementation reports, while Clause 11 commits the University to review and update the policy periodically and to publish it, together with its sourcing guidelines and implementation evidence, on the official website. The signed policy is reproduced in the Annex to this report.

2. Sustainably Farmed Food on Campus in Practice: CCAS FARM (2025)

In 2025, the College of Creative Agriculture for Society (CCAS), SWU, put sustainable food production into practice through the CCAS FARM Organic Agriculture Learning Center, a model farm run by the College. The farm grows organic salad vegetables and other crops in greenhouses and produces organic rice in Sa Kaeo Province, without synthetic chemical fertilisers or pesticides.

2.1 Sustainably farmed food for the campus

Produce from CCAS FARM was supplied to College staff for their own meals and for meal preparation on campus. This gave the campus community a direct source of sustainably farmed food and shows how the University’s own farms can supply food on campus while supporting food security and climate resilience.

2.2 Training in sustainable food production

CCAS FARM also serves as a demonstration and training site. In 2025, it trained 31 participants, including lecturers, College staff and local people, in organic and safe farming through two modules:

• Awareness building. Interactive lectures on "Organic Agriculture Made Easy" covered chemical-free farming, how to avoid residue contamination and how to recognise certified organic agricultural inputs.

• Organic input management. Hands-on training covered soil analysis, the use of beneficial microorganisms for natural disease control and stronger plants, and practical workshops on mixing organic growing media.

Figure 1. Salad vegetables grown in a CCAS FARM greenhouse.

Figure 2. Melons grown in a CCAS FARM greenhouse.

Figure 3. Chillies grown on CCAS FARM without synthetic chemicals.

Figure 4. Tomatoes from the CCAS FARM greenhouse.

Figure 5. Crops growing in the CCAS FARM open field.

Figure 6. Participants in the CCAS FARM organic farming training with produce from the farm.

Contribution to SDG 15: Life on Land

SWU’s policy on sustainably farmed food on campus links what the University eats with how land is farmed. By favouring organic, GAP-certified and local produce, refusing products linked to illegal deforestation or habitat destruction, and growing food on its own organic farm, SWU reduces the use of chemicals on farmland, protects soil and biodiversity, and supports farmers who manage their land sustainably.

Annex: Signed Policy Document

The signed Srinakharinwirot University Announcement on the Policy on the Sustainable Sourcing of Food and Agricultural Products, dated 31 March B.E. 2568 (A.D. 2025), is shown below (Figures 7–10). The original document is available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-yKLbI2YsLWt5zUMz-TuMJd7pnSpb7q7/view

Figure 7. Signed policy announcement, page 1 of 4.

Figure 8. Signed policy announcement, page 2 of 4.

Figure 9. Signed policy announcement, page 3 of 4.

Figure 10. Signed policy announcement, page 4 of 4, with the President’s signature.