Jones Valley Teaching Farm brings hydroponic farming to Alabama classrooms
Green Acres Middle School and several other Birmingham City Schools will have hydroponic classrooms ready by fall. (contributed)
Jones Valley Teaching Farm – in collaboration with NY Sun Works and Birmingham City Schools – recently announced a new initiative that will bring hydroponic farming to 3,700 Birmingham students. The project builds on Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s nationally recognized Good School Food education framework, which uses hands-on, food-based education to spark student interest in both agriculture and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
“Our ultimate goal is to deliver food-based education to all 20,000 students in Birmingham City Schools,” said Jones Valley Teaching Farm Executive Director Amanda Storey. “This expansion allows us to reach more students and diversify how we use food as a foundation for learning by leveraging national resources to work alongside our trusted partners, Birmingham City Schools.”
The following Birmingham City Schools are participating in the expansion: Jackson-Olin High School, Bush Hills STEAM Academy, Green Acres Middle School, South Hampton K-8 School, Central Park Elementary School, Charles A. Brown Elementary School, Minor Elementary School and Wylam Elementary School.
Each of the participating schools, including two middle schools, one K-8 school, and four elementary schools that all feed to the same participating high school will be equipped with state-of-the-art hydroponic technology, including growing towers, vine crop systems, seedling stations and worm composting.
The program will build hydroponic greenhouses for Jackson-Olin High School and Bush Hills STEAM Academy and classroom labs for the other participating schools.
Through the new initiative students will learn how to grow plants such as leafy greens, herbs, and vine vegetables, seed-to-harvest, using just water and nutrients.
Jones Valley Teaching Farm will also expand its internship program for high school students, doubling the available internship spots to 20.
NY Sun Works
The six hydroponic classrooms and two hydroponic greenhouses are being designed and built by NY Sun Works, a New York City-based nonprofit recognized for delivering high-quality, standards-based sustainability education through advanced hydroponic systems.
With 15 years of experience educating students in sustainability science through hydroponic farming, NY Sun Works has built and supported more than 350 hydroponic classrooms in New York City, training more than 1,400 teachers. The NY Sun Works standards-aligned science curriculum now reaches more than 140,000 students annually.
The partnership with Jones Valley Teaching Farm and Birmingham City Schools marks NY Sun Works’ first collaboration with schools in the Southeast.
“At NY Sun Works, we are thrilled to partner with Jones Valley Teaching Farm and Birmingham City Schools to bring cutting-edge hydroponic farming technology and grade specific curriculum into the classrooms of Birmingham,” said NY Sun Works Executive Director Manuela Zamora. “This initiative will provide students with year-round interactive learning experiences in sustainable agriculture, while also fostering a deep understanding and curiosity of STEM principles and environmental stewardship. Together, we’re cultivating a generation of farmer-scientists, innovators, and leaders in new careers who will lead the way toward a more resilient future.”
In addition to the equipment and infrastructure, teachers will receive ongoing training focused on using hydroponic systems to engage students.
Benefits for Birmingham
The $500,000 seed funding from the City of Birmingham and Birmingham City Schools will support the acquisition, building, and installation of the technology and infrastructure of the labs, curriculum and teacher training. All new hydroponic classrooms will open on the first day of school on Aug. 7, 2025.
Supporters of the new initiative feel confident that the hydroponic education program will benefit both Birmingham City Schools and the greater Birmingham community.
“Expanding and diversifying food-based educational programming through hydroponics at the eight schools within the Jackson-Olin feeder pattern marks a significant next step in our partnership with JVTF. This expansion will allow 3,700 additional students to experience food-based education, double the number of interns receiving paid work-based learning opportunities and create a local and sustainable produce procurement opportunity by integrating produce grown in the newly established learning labs into the schools’ cafeterias,” said Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan. “We are preparing a new generation of state, national and world leaders in Birmingham City Schools. This initiative helps strengthen the foundation for our scholars’ future success.”
The partnership with Jones Valley Teaching Farm and Birmingham City Schools marks NY Sun Works’ first collaboration with schools in the Southeast. (contributed)
The initiative could also help address food security in the city. According to the City of Birmingham, nearly 70% of the city’s residents live in neighborhoods lacking access to fresh, affordable foods. Controlled environment agriculture through hydroponic technology can yield up to three times more produce than traditional farming, while using up to 95% less water. Collectively, the new classroom hydroponic systems are expected to produce up to 4,000 pounds of fresh produce annually, which will stay in the local community.
The expansion of Jones Valley Teaching Farm programming could also help mitigate the chronic absenteeism that schools across the nation have faced following the COVID-19 pandemic. Birmingham City Schools has achieved significant progress in bringing students back to school post-pandemic, with absentee rates dropping each school year. The new hydroponic classrooms could keep these rates trending in the right direction.
Project-based learning not only correlates with high attendance but also higher test scores and improved social and emotional development. A survey of families who participate in existing Jones Valley Teaching Farm programs showed that 100% of their students were more excited to attend school on days with JVTF programming. In existing NY Sun Works Hydroponic Classrooms, 92% of teachers reported students actively engaging in science, and 94% of teachers have reported students showing stronger awareness and appreciation for the environment.
The initiative could boost economic mobility, too. Participating high school students will have the opportunity to obtain credentials and technical education to further prepare them for careers in controlled environment agriculture, green tech and other related industries.
“This is a game-changing opportunity for our students,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin, noting that the training and internships are aligned with state educational standards and workforce readiness goals. “This is an important step in preparing the next generation of leaders in agriculture, environmental sciences, and technology. I am thrilled that Birmingham students will be leading the way.”
