Pilot program aims to teach Philly students indoor farming

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A new program in Philly schools will teach students about careers in hydroponic farming.

The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) program is designed to expose students at every grade level to aspects of indoor farming — from growing plants to the plumbing, electrical and construction work needed to support them.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry Nancy Walker and Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding toured Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Farm on Tuesday to tout the $250,000 state Schools-to-Work grant funding the program.

The program aims to expose 24 students at five Kensington schools to the skills necessary for indoor farming.

“[We are] looking at ways that we can innovate and engage our students to allow them to see careers in a much different format, all while growing,” said Fox Chase Farm principal and manager Dr. Mandy Manna.

The CEA program is offered to students at Gloria Casarez and Frances E. Willard Elementary schools, Russell Conwell Middle, and Jules E. Mastbaum High in Kensington . A fifth yet-to-be-determined school is also expected to participate.

The first phase allows students to take home their school-grown produce, Manna explained. “Imagine every child leaving once a week with a bag of microgreens or lettuce or a fruit that’s been grown.”

The second phase increases the volume to support local food charities, which will create even more career learning opportunities, said Mastbaum High School principal David Lon.

“In working with those food banks, we have marketing programs, we have culinary programs at Mastbaum. So there’s going to be a lot of cross-pollination that happens,” he said.

“Our third phase is being able to produce enough that we’re actually selling to make our program sustainable all through that entrepreneurship from our students,” Manna added.

Hydroponic equipment, she said, will be installed over the next few months, with the first plants — and career aspirations — growing by January.