In the heart of New York City, a revolutionary initiative led by Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ) is making waves by tackling food insecurity and promoting health through an innovative blend of youth-led hydroponic farming and STEM education. At their newly launched educational campus in Far Rockaway, TFFJ is not just expanding its influence but also reshaping the way young minds engage with agriculture and their communities.

This vibrant campus, comprising three high schools and a middle school, has the distinction of being the first TFFJ project to receive federal support, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education’s Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grant (USDA UAIP). In addition to its high-tech hydroponic systems, the site boasts a soil garden, developed in partnership with GrowNYC, to bolster produce yield throughout the outdoor growing season.

Katherine Soll, CEO and Founder of TFFJ, described the Far Rockaways as “an isolated area with really complicated metrics in regards to food access, transportation access, and secondary education opportunities.” She elaborated on the vision behind creating a school-based farm hub, empowering students to bring about positive change within their community.

The Far Rockaway project embodies a place-making ethos, linking the farm hub to local community gardens and food pantries. The initiative is focused on nurturing workforce opportunities, evident in its collaboration with the campus’ culinary and urban agriculture programs.

The success in Far Rockaway is just a chapter in TFFJ’s broader narrative of impact across New York City. Through a combination of STEM classes, afterschool programs, and school-based internships, TFFJ students are groomed to manage every aspect of a school-based farm. Remarkably, these students, many from Title I schools, are not only growing thousands of kilograms of hydroponic produce but are also emerging as educators, mentors, and advocates in their communities.

Annually, each TFFJ farm yields up to 4,536 kilograms of food, impacting 19 schools and 7,900 students, and distributing over 20,412 kilograms of student-grown produce. This bounty reaches school cafeterias and is also distributed within local food deserts.

TFFJ’s reach extends through a network of partners like Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center, East Brooklyn Mutual Aid, and Queens Defenders, facilitating the distribution of their produce. Soll envisions a future where these partnerships fuel workforce development and employment opportunities. With over 60 students in paid internships and connections to the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program, TFFJ is keen on enhancing its career and technical education offerings.

Soll shares her aspirations for TFFJ’s future: “This year and moving forward we are building an extremely intentional workforce development program that is wrap-around.” She emphasizes the goal of providing students with more responsibility and industry connections as they progress through the program.

At the heart of TFFJ’s evolution remains its commitment to the student experience, a sentiment echoed by TFFJ Senior Farmer-Educator Alyssa Gardner-Vazquez. As a former TFFJ student, Gardner-Vazquez reflects, “I grew up in the program… And now [as an educator] I get into the real problems with the high schools and learn along with them,” she shares, highlighting the full-circle journey of empowerment and learning at TFFJ.