Farms in Schools - Putting Real, working farms in schools

Tree Media Foundation's / Urban Roots call to action is to put farms in schools. Across the nation, schools cover large areas of land that are often covered in asphalt. This asphalt-covered land offers up a terrific opportunity to turn it into organic, food-producing land while also creating a valuable, outdoor classroom.

Currently, school budgets nation-wide do not provide for this activity, so we are taking the lead. Tree Media Foundation has partnered with The Green Schoolhouse, a Los Angeles-based school garden consulting and design build company, to create a pilot program to build school farms. We are calling these farms, “Field of Dreams.”

A Field of Dreams Farm is an outdoor classroom where High School students learn the sustainable practices of planting, composting and water conservation to grow food with the highest organic nutritional value. Each school will experience the growth cycle of Seed to Harvest to Table. Students will take the message home that growing your own food is a simple and vital process.

Also, schools will have the opportunity to participate in their communities by growing food for their local community’s food banks and homeless shelters.

Farms in Schools Across the Nation

The Urban Roots/Field of Dreams pilot project starts in Los Angeles and soon after, Detroit. Please contact us if you are a high-school or community that would like to put a farm in your school.

The five LAUSD High Schools in the pilot program have Environmental Academies within their curriculum. The following schools have been selected to receive funding for a Green Schoolhouse Farm.

Alexander Hamilton High School
Global Studies Network Academy

Van Nuys High School
Academy of Health Careers, Nutrition, Culinary Arts

Phineas Banning High School
Global Environmental Science Academy

Roosevelt High School
Academy of Environmental and Social Policy

James A. Garfield High School
Green Architecture and Design Academy

The documentary film “Urban Roots” will be screened at each of these High Schools with a subsequent announcement of their Green Schoolhouse Farm Award.