Bronx Teens Create Hydroponic Farm To Grow 25,000 Pounds of Produce A Year
Bronx Teens Create Hydroponic Farm To Grow 25,000 Pounds of Produce A Year
The farm can grow various types of lettuce, Swiss chard, bok choy, tomatoes, and cucumbers along with herbs.
Students Saul Morel, left, and Jasmely Torres examine butterhead lettuce at the DeWitt Clinton Campus' hydroponic farm. Photo Credit: Linda Rosier
By Lisa L. Colangelolisa.colangelo@amny.com @lisalcolangelo
June 4, 2018
No soil? No problem.
A group of Bronx teens helped create a 1,300-square-foot hydroponic farm designed to grow 25,000 pounds of produce a year in one of the city’s toughest “food deserts.”
The project is designed to teach students about sustainable agriculture, advocacy and nutrition while building their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills.
“Watching the students blossom and change through the program even in this short period of time is really impressive,” said Katherine Soll, CEO and director of Teens for Food Justice, a nonprofit that helped students build the indoor farm with a $127,000 grant from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, as well as other donors. “They have really grasped all the concepts of the farm, how the systems work and how it is different from growing in soil.”
Hydroponic farms use water and a nutrient solution to grow food. The farm was built inside a former lab at the DeWitt Clinton Campus, located off the Mosholu Parkway, between October and January, Soll said.
A celebration Saturday marked the end of the farm’s first year and signaled its ability to go into full production mode.
The goal is to grow enough food to use in the school’s cafeteria, distribute to food pantries and sell at a low cost to the community.
The farm can produce various types of lettuce, Swiss chard, bok choy, tomatoes and cucumbers along with herbs as such basil, thyme, oregano and cilantro.