This Student is Using Hydroponics to Change the Way Kids Eat

In the heart of Pearland, Texas, high school student Rahul Vijayan is leading an initiative called Farm to Tray, aimed at transforming students’ relationship with food. This idea stemmed from events during the COVID-19 pandemic when his brother Nikil’s nonprofit collaborated with a hydroponics farm to supply fresh produce to seniors. This sparked Rahul’s interest in hydroponics — a soil-free method of cultivating plants — and laid the groundwork for his innovative approach to enhancing school nutrition and education.

“Hydroponics eliminates the need for harmful pesticides and GMOs, making it an eco-friendly alternative,” explains Vijayan. This system, which fuels Farm to Tray, involves growing plants in a water-based, nutrient-rich solution rather than soil, ensuring optimal growth and minimizing waste. This technology, which NASA is currently testing, is now tailored for everyday educational use.”

Farm to Tray officially launched in August 2022 at Shadow Creek High School in Pearland, Texas. The initiative’s primary goals are to enhance students’ dietary health by offering access to fresh, nutrient-dense foods and educating students about sustainable agricultural techniques.

“For young kids, one third of their meals are being eaten at school,” explains Vijayan. “Eating frozen meals that lack vitamins and minerals are impacting obesity rates, physical health, and mental health.”

Farm to Tray offers two systems. The first is a full-scale, six-foot by four-foot farm that produces items like lettuce, basil, peppers and tomatoes. This large farm was the first system implemented in Vijayan’s school district. The second system is a smaller grow kit that grows micro greens, including micro arugula and micro radishes. “We recognized funding challenges in other schools,” explains Vijayan. “We decided to create a smaller farm specifically for younger students to introduce them to hydroponics.”

Securing external grants and forging partnerships with organizations like the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF) and Houston-based Moonflower Farms has been pivotal. “Federico Marques, CEO of Moonflower Farms, and CELF have been a huge help,” says Vijayan. “They have helped connect me to schools and teachers across the world.” These partnerships provide support in implementing hydroponics systems and assist in educational outreach and curriculum development.

Since its inception, Farm to Tray has been implemented in 55 schools across five states in America. Vijayan also won the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, a national award that celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people across the United States and Canada.

Vijayan has found raising awareness of hydroponics extremely rewarding. “In January 2023, we held a hydroponics symposium and invited the local mayor, schools, teachers, and even NASA to speak about hydroponics,” he said. ‘We gave the kids kits from a grant I received and it was so rewarding to see how we are influencing and improving children’s lives.”

Vijayan will attend Stanford University in California after high school and plans to continue advocating for policy changes in collaboration with organizations like the EPA and USDA. His goal is to emphasize the importance of youth voices in shaping sustainable agricultural practices.