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What do an apricot orchard, a school garden, and the future of technology have in common? More than you might think.

Junelle Cavero joins Dr. Joe Roselle on Harvesting Wisdom to share how growing up on a family orchard shaped her understanding of hard work, patience, and resilience—and why those lessons matter for the next generation.

Together, they explore how school and community gardens create opportunities for hands-on learning, connection, and discovery. The conversation also moves into composting, Arizona’s water and energy needs, and the connections between agriculture, data centers, and emerging technology, including Cavero’s perspective on proposed legislation.

IN THIS EPISODE
🌱 Life on an apricot orchard and lessons passed down through generations
🌱 Helping children build confidence and curiosity through gardening
🌱 Composting and the resources that support growing food
🌱 How agriculture and technology share water and energy resources
🌱 Learning through experimentation, setbacks, and trying again

Whether you’re an educator, gardener, parent, or lifelong learner, this conversation invites you to consider how the things we grow shape the way we learn and connect.

💬 What’s one lesson you learned in the garden? Share it in the comments.

Subscribe to Harvesting Wisdom for more conversations about food, farming, education, and the people connecting us to the land.

ABOUT HARVESTING WISDOM
Produced by Urban Farming Education, Harvesting Wisdom brings together growers, educators, researchers, and community voices to explore our relationships with food, the environment, and one another.

EXPLORE & GET INVOLVED
Urban Farming Education & Project Grow:
https://www.weareufe.org

Harvesting Wisdom:
https://www.harvestingwisdompodcast.org

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What can a campus garden teach students beyond growing food? At Grand Canyon University, students are building practical skills, finding community, and helping shape a space of their own.

In this episode of Harvesting Wisdom, guest hosts Gracie and Lily visit the GCU Garden to speak with Kate, a graduate assistant who oversees the garden’s operations and student staff through Outdoor Recreation.

Kate shares how students help build and maintain the space—from an outdoor kitchen to garden paths—and learn to solve problems along the way. They also discuss composting, reusing materials, irrigation challenges, and how garden events bring people together.

The conversation explores what happens when students have a place to slow down, get their hands in the soil, and turn what they know into something they can use.

In this episode:
Hands-on learning beyond the classroom
Student-led projects and practical building skills
Composting food scraps and giving materials a second life
Working through irrigation challenges with limited resources
Creating a welcoming space for connection and belonging
Helping students discover gardening through events and classes

Whether you’re an educator, college student, garden leader, or curious beginner, this episode offers a look at how a garden can grow alongside the people who care for it.

What’s one skill you’ve learned in a garden that you use somewhere else? Tell us in the comments!

Subscribe to Harvesting Wisdom for more conversations about food, sustainability, education, and community.

Explore Harvesting Wisdom:
https://harvestingwisdompodcast.org

Learn about Urban Farming Education and Project Grow:
https://weareufe.org

Guest: Kate, GCU Garden graduate assistant
Guest hosts: Gracie and Lily
Recorded at the GCU Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

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What started as one mother teaching her daughter outdoors grew into a school serving about 80 students. Discover how Paradise Earth Academy combines strong academics, school gardening, and time in nature.

In this episode of Harvesting Wisdom, Dr. Joe Roselle visits Paradise Earth Academy in Gilbert, Arizona, to speak with founder Melissa Alexander about the journey from a small homeschooling group to a growing school community.

Melissa shares how focused academic blocks, outdoor breaks, and hands-on experiences shape the school day. We explore the garden as a place to learn, slow down, and connect—and how families are learning alongside their children.

IN THIS EPISODE:
• The story behind Paradise Earth Academy
• Balancing academics with outdoor exploration
• A cell phone-free campus and flexible schedules
• Using the garden for science, math, art, and stewardship
• The vision for orchards, outdoor classrooms, and food production
• How community partners can help the garden grow

GET INVOLVED
Interested in supporting the garden with trees, materials, gardening expertise, or agricultural partnerships? Connect with Paradise Earth Academy or Urban Farming Education below.

Paradise Earth Academy:
https://paradiseearthacademy.com/

Urban Farming Education / Project Grow:
https://weareufe.org/

Harvesting Wisdom:
https://harvestingwisdompodcast.org/

💬 What would you add to a school garden to help students learn? Tell us in the comments!

Subscribe to Harvesting Wisdom for conversations about school gardens, growing food, and connecting communities with nature.

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Why do some stories inspire action while others get lost in the noise? Communications strategist Kate Gardiner joins Mike McMahon to explore how storytelling can build trust, reach the right audience, and move environmental conversations beyond awareness.

Kate is the founder and CEO of Last Word Communications, formerly Grey Horse. Drawing on her journalism and communications experience, she shares lessons from environmental campaigns, documentary projects, and crisis communications—and discusses the role of human judgment as AI reshapes how we create and consume content.

In this episode of Harvesting Wisdom, we explore:

• Turning environmental awareness into community action
• Connecting soil health, conservation, and education through storytelling
• Choosing the right platform for your message and audience
• Why planning your communications before a crisis matters
• AI, authenticity, and the future of human creativity
• Finding hope through education and collective action

Whether you’re an educator, nonprofit leader, communicator, or someone who wants to make a difference, this conversation explores how the stories we share influence what happens next.

CONNECT WITH KATE
Website: https://kategardiner.com/
Last Word Communications: https://lastwordcommunications.com/

EXPLORE OUR WORK
Harvesting Wisdom: https://harvestingwisdompodcast.org/
Urban Farming Education: https://weareufe.org/

Educators and school garden leaders: visit Urban Farming Education to learn more about Project Grow and garden-based learning.

Subscribe to Harvesting Wisdom for conversations about soil, sustainability, education, and the people helping communities grow.

What is one story that changed how you think about the environment or your community? Share it in the comments.

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Your garden is growing big, green plants—but where’s the harvest? The answer might be hiding beneath your feet.

In this episode of Harvesting Wisdom, host Mike McMahon welcomes homesteader and soil consultant Landen Schaelling for a conversation about soil microbes, composting, and growing food in Northern Arizona’s high desert.

After a disappointing growing season, Landen began looking beyond soil texture and into the microscopic life supporting his plants. He shares how that experience shaped his approach to gardening, led him into soil consulting, and inspired his work with microbial fermentations.

From feeding a family of seven to saving locally adapted seeds, this conversation explores the experiments, setbacks, and discoveries behind more than a decade of homesteading.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Growing food through extreme temperature swings and unpredictable frost dates
• Extending the growing season with row covers
• Saving seeds and experimenting with crop varieties
• How Landen’s unsuccessful market garden changed his direction
• Microbe Master Mix and his approach to microbial fermentation
• Fungi, protozoa, and examining compost under a microscope
• Windrow composting and Johnson-Su composting
• Balancing family life, homesteading, and a consulting business

About our guest:

Landen Schaelling is a Northern Arizona homesteader, soil consultant, and founder of Sacred Soil Solutions. His work combines permaculture, soil microscopy, microbial inputs, and education for gardeners, homesteaders, and farmers.

Connect with Landen:

Instagram: @sacredsoilsolutions
Learning community: Sacred Soil Solutions

Explore Harvesting Wisdom:

Visit harvestingwisdompodcast.org for more conversations and resources.

Join the conversation:

What’s your biggest gardening challenge—soil, weather, or getting your plants to produce? Tell us in the comments.

Follow or subscribe to Harvesting Wisdom, share this episode with a fellow grower, and leave a rating or review on your listening app.

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How can students turn ideas for growing food into a project that communities in Zimbabwe can use?

Dr. Joe Roselle talks with Sarah Adams of Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University about an ESG fellowship with Urban Farming Education. Students from Zimbabwe are exploring community farming and animal husbandry projects, while seeking the partners and practical expertise needed to move their ideas forward.

Sarah and Joe discuss what the students hope to build, the challenges they have encountered, and how people with experience in agriculture, irrigation, solar energy, logistics, and international business could contribute.

Have relevant expertise, or know a potential partner in Zimbabwe? Contact Urban Farming Education at [info@weareufe.org](mailto:info@weareufe.org) and mention the Zimbabwe ESG Fellowship.

Learn more about Harvesting Wisdom: https://www.harvestingwisdompodcast.org/
Learn more about Urban Farming Education: https://www.weareufe.org/

Subscribe to Harvesting Wisdom for conversations about growing food, education, sustainability, and the people putting ideas into practice.

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Can a Zimbabwe safari help protect wildlife while strengthening the communities that live alongside it?

Filmed at Zingweni Vlei Luxury Safari Camp near Hwange National Park, guest host Gracie Mika speaks with Arnold Payne, owner of Run Wild African Safaris and co-founder of Zingweni Vlei, about conservation, sustainable agriculture, food security, and educational travel in Zimbabwe.

Arnold explains the realities of human–wildlife conflict, including what happens when elephants destroy a village’s crops or predators threaten livestock. He also discusses why access to water, agricultural knowledge, and sustainable income opportunities are essential for both community well-being and the future of wildlife conservation.

The conversation explores how Urban Farming Education and Run Wild African Safaris hope to connect students with meaningful, hands-on experiences supporting local communities. Students from many different fields—including agriculture, engineering, environmental science, business, finance, and education—can bring valuable knowledge while gaining a deeper understanding of Zimbabwean culture, conservation, and community life.

In this episode:

• The relationship between rural communities and wildlife
• How human–wildlife conflict affects families and conservation
• Why water and sustainable agriculture are vital in Zimbabwe
• How community gardens can provide food and income
• Opportunities for students from different majors to contribute
• What travelers can expect from a Zimbabwe safari experience
• Life at Zingweni Vlei Luxury Safari Camp
• How responsible travel can create a lasting impact

Learn more:

Urban Farming Education
https://weareufe.org

Harvesting Wisdom Podcast
https://harvestingwisdompodcast.org

Run Wild African Safaris
https://runwildafricansafaris.com

Follow Zingweni Vlei on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/zingwenivlei/
https://www.zingwenivlei.com/

Subscribe to the Harvesting Wisdom Podcast for conversations about sustainability, education, agriculture, conservation, and the people creating positive change in their communities.

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How does the U.S. immigration system affect international education, agriculture, STEM fields, and workforce development?

In this educational conversation, Dr. Joe Roselle speaks with immigration attorney David E. Gluckman about the relationship between immigration procedures and the needs of students, workers, universities, and employers.

The discussion examines employment-based immigration, international student experiences, agricultural labor, skilled-worker pathways, visa processing, and the economic role of international talent.

Why Listen:

• Understand how immigration intersects with education and employment
• Learn about challenges faced by international students
• Explore workforce needs in agriculture and STEM fields
• Gain general insight into employment-based immigration pathways
• Hear a professional perspective on a complex national system

This episode is intended to encourage informed, respectful discussion. It does not endorse or oppose a political candidate, political party, or ballot measure.

Disclaimer: This program is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration laws, policies, fees, and procedures may change after recording. Consult a qualified immigration attorney for guidance regarding an individual situation. The opinions expressed are those of the individual speakers.