Plants Native to the Americas Symposium: Public Tour of Native Food Plants at Sparky's Garden (ASU Farm)

Join us for a public tour of the newly renovated Sparky’s Garden and explore Indigenous food crops adapted to the arid and semi-arid low deserts of the Southwest. Taking advantage of the summer monsoon season, the garden will feature crops such as amaranth, winter squash, beans and short-day corn from Native Seeds SEARCH, while highlighting their cultural, ecological and agricultural significance. 

The tour will be led by Chandlee Begay, a Diné ASU student and former ASU Farm Student Leader whose work focuses on Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Native food systems, seed conservation and Indigenous agricultural practices. Chandlee is connected with Indigenous food and agriculture work across ASU and has helped lead Indigenous planting projects and educational experiences across ASU campus gardens and with local community partners. 

This event is part of the Native Plants of the Americas symposium on October 8. Other activities include Rare Book Presentation and Rooted in Tradition: Sonoran Desert Food Plants and Their Indigenous Uses.

About visitor parking

Parking is available in nearby ASU Apache Blvd. Parking Structure. Please allow extra time to park and walk to the venue. Parking fees may apply.

About Sparky's Garden

Sparky’s Garden is ASU’s Tempe campus garden and living classroom, where students, faculty, and staff grow food, build community, and practice and learn to steward the land in Arizona’s desert environment. Its mission is to cultivate a vibrant student community rooted in care, cooperation and environmental stewardship. Through hands-on gardening and shared learning, its programming deepens connections to the land and fosters character development in service of a more sustainable and flourishing campus.

This event is supported by ASU Farm, Desert Botanical Garden, the Humanities Institute, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, 
Barrett, The Honors College, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems.

For a full listing of Humanities Institute events, visit our events page.