Curriculum & Programs
Teens for food justice (tffj)
Works to ensure universal equitable access to healthy, fresh, affordable food. We train youth in 21st-century hydroponic urban agricultural farming techniques, entrepreneurship, and health/nutrition education and advocacy, empowering them as change agents who can lead themselves and their own communities towards healthier futures. TFFJ works in Title I schools to train youth to become urban farmers through building and maintaining indoor hydroponic farms that grow more than 10,000 pounds of fresh produce annually at each location. for more info, visit teensforfoodjustice.org
hydroponics farm
Students at Brownsville Collaborative Middle School, with help from their passionate Principal Gregory Jackson Jr. and other school educators, have started a hydroponic farm. Hydroponics is a subset of hydroculture, which is a method of growing plants without soil by using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent.
One classroom has evolved into an indoor hydroponic farm where crops are grown in water instead of dirt. “The students love it.”, exclaimed Principal Jackson. “Because there are no healthy options in Brownsville, we are creating them.”
To address the kinesthetic learners, this hydroponics STEM program affords students the opportunity to even create the equipment necessary to grow the plants. Students are a part of every aspect of the progress, which includes designing and building the equipment, choosing and maintaining the crops, and deciding what will happen once the crops are harvested.
Through hydroponics, students grow produce year-round, which will help to promote healthy eating among students as well as community members. The produce grown includes tomatoes, herbs, peppers, lettuce, swiss chard, basil sage and watercress.
