Bringing Crops to Classrooms: How we set up an Urban Mini-Farm

Organo Et School got an opportunity to set an urban mini-farm for children of Mahara Prep and Day Care in Hyderabad. Objective of setting this kitchen garden was to help children develop new skills as well as learn about science, nature and origins of food.  

After hearing about our commitment to connect children and nature, Mahara School asked us to set up a simple kitchen garden in their premises in Kondapur, Hyderabad. We sourced the soil, planted a mix of vegetables (tomatoes, white brinjal, black brinjal, green chilies) as well as some flowering plants. We also sourced three trees (Mango, Pomegranate and Guava) as well as short palms that can be planted in the premises.  

When a few of the plants petered out due to over-watering, the Mahara team reached out to us for help. We sourced some more vegetables saplings and planted them.

Through urban farm activities, children will discover real-life, authentic first-hand experiences, which will contribute to compassion towards our collective environment. Many studies have shown that children learn a lot from growing plants as well as develop new skills including:

• Compassion for other species - Caring for the plants

• Cause and effect - what will happen if the plant is not watered or not nurtured
• Nature connection - spending time outdoors in a safe environment
• Self-discovery and confidence - what needs to be done, when and how. Once the goal is achieved(harvesting), there will be a sense of accomplishment for each child
• Physical activity and bonding - children will bond with each other while they work together as a team  
• Self-reliance - raising food that the nature gives us selflessly

Under careful adult supervision, children will get to watch and do simple gardening work. The younger ones can help in watering plants, weeding, harvesting and planting seeds. In the meanwhile, the older lots will be capable of handling a greater variety of activities, like digging, planting, mulching, pruning, harvesting and finally, whipping a quick nutritious meal.

Gardening is a healthy, fun activity for children and we look forward to the time when children can work with the soil, seeds, plants and veggies. Mahara Prep and Day Care are dedicated to helping children love green living. Progressive schools, like Mahara, are great co-educators in our journey to ensure Education on Sustainability is mainstreamed across India.

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Connecting children with the natural world at a young age is the first step in creating responsible stewards of our collective future. If you would like to set up an urban mini-farm in your school or community, please connect to us at oes@organo.co.in and by phone 9154100775