Initiative advocates for edible school gardens in the SELA area

A group of parents advocating for better nutrition, wellness and green spaces in Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) gathered in Huntington Park on March 14 to present an initiative on edible school gardens to LAUSD representatives.

The “SELA Huertos Escolares: Salud y Vida” intends to have edible gardens inside SELA schools. The objective is to teach students how to grow and harvest fruits, vegetables and herbs to develop healthy habits and learn where their food comes from. 

The presentation was aimed primarily for LAUSD’s Chief Eco-Sustainability Officer, Christos Chrysiliou and District 5 Board Member Karla Griego to advocate for their support. 

Rosario Armenta, one of the parents, told the LAUSD reps that they would like to have green spaces like other schools outside of the SELA area. Lupe Lopez said her daughter learned in school how to cultivate fruits and vegetables and she would like other children from SELA to have the same resources.

The parents are part of Innovate Public Schools, an advocacy group that helps the community organize, advocate and demand high quality schools for students. The organization points out that  food insecurity has been steadily increasing since 2021, with over one-third of SELA residents lacking access to a nearby supermarket and fresh produce. Data showed that 40% of SELA residents live in a food desert. The organization also notes that in SELA, 56% of the population is Hispanic and 26% is Black, and access to high-quality green spaces has long been scarce. 

Alejandra Mendoza, a teacher in Los Angeles, said she works in a school where there are edible gardens and she has seen the confidence and positive change green spaces have on children. She said she often has students telling her they are having a tough day but the garden class helps them to de-stress. 

“Every day they are shouting the names of the plants and the insects in our gardens or they are explaining new students how the garden works,” she said. “They see the garden as a healing space in the middle of their school day, a place where they can be curious. They move their bodies and they learn at their own pace. 

In California, only 36% of parents believe their children receive nutritious food in their schools. Parents agree that for many local students, food provided at school is their only reliable source of nutrition. 

The initiative aims to transform this rhetoric by improving access to nutritious food, fostering wellness and strengthening ties to the community.  

Reaction from LAUSD

While Chrysiliou and Griego agreed that green spaces are needed, they also wanted the community to be aware of the process, the cost and the effort it takes. Chrysiliou said it is important to attach a program to the school curriculum so students are maintaining the gardens constantly.

“I have seen community edible gardens turn into sand gardens because they aren’t attached to a curriculum and no one takes care of them,” he said. 

Griego said it is also important to note that the project may take about a year or more to come to life and parents must be aware of this, too, because needs and wants change with time. While the parents with school-aged children are interested in the gardens now, those who come after this cohort graduates may not be as interested and the project may die. 

She said will advocate for more money for this project but the community also has to understand there are priorities. 

“Our district is old and if there’s another issue in the building, [LAUSD] takes priority on that. We need to prioritize and allocate money in the right places,” she said. 

Studies show that students who have access to healthy food options are more likely to have improved academic performance, including better concentration and higher test scores. 

“We can’t talk about wellness without addressing nutrition,” said Olga Gonzalez, a community organizer for Innovate Public Schools. “These gardens are about so much more than food. They’re about creating spaces where these children can thrive mentally, physically, and emotionally. And it’s a message to our kids: You deserve better, you deserve to be seen – and you belong here.”