Season 10 Episode 128 — Buliding a Resilient Food Future & Collaborative Partners

VFP Host
Vertical Farming Podcast
3 min readMar 24, 2024

A conversation with Katherine Soll of Teens for Food Justice

In this episode, I speak with Katherine Soll, a powerhouse of knowledge and change in the realm of urban agriculture. She takes us through her inspiring journey from her New York City upbringing to her influential role as the founder and CEO of Teens for Food Justice.

With a nod to Agritechture’s Henry Gordon- Smith for his support and insight, Katherine and I delve into the transformative world of hydroponic farms, the importance of food equity, and the incredible shift from food deserts to the more nuanced concept of food apartheid. It’s a conversation that’s not only about the growth of plants but also about the growth of young minds and communities.

We really dig into what it takes to cultivate an organization that stands firm against the winds of challenge. Katherine ‘s narrative is a testament to the resilience needed to lead such impactful work, and her experiences offer a treasure trove of wisdom on nurturing the next generation of leaders.

By integrating technology with hands-on education, Katherine ‘s team is planting the seeds for a greener, more equitable NYC, and beyond. It’s a tale of hope, hard work, and the harvest that comes from truly rooting for change.

Join us as we explore the greening of urban spaces and the empowerment of youth in a movement that’s redefining our relationship with food and community.

Special thanks to our Season 10 Sponsor:

AgTech Marketing Team

Indoor AgCon

Key Takeaways

  • 00:00 Growing Up in NYC
  • 10:25 Evolution of Teens for Food Justice
  • 17:26 Building Resilient Community Farming Organization
  • 25:09 Urban Farming Impact and Student Success
  • 30:33 Expanding Urban Agriculture and Food Access
  • 35:46 Letting Go and Trusting Your Team
  • 41:19 Navigating Mission Creep in Vertical Farming
  • 46:15 Teen Food Justice Organization Promotion

Tweetables

“One of the things that was really amazing about growing up in New York, I think, was the level of independence that you have when you’re really very young. Being able to walk to school by yourself, go places with your friends by yourself, that independence gives you a perspective on the world that’s really different than when you grow up in a car culture.”

“I think that service is an incredible way to get people to look outside of their own self and their own interests and to understand that we’re only going to thrive if we’re all thriving together.”

“I think that if you never have the experience of really needing to show that level of vulnerability and see that you’re gonna survive, that yeah, you miss something. I think that’s a really important honing process that has served me. It was extremely hard, but again, I try to approach things by saying what is the beneficial lying underneath this thing that didn’t go the way I planned.”

Links Mentioned

Website — https://teensforfoodjustice.org/

Twitter — https://twitter.com/tffjinitiative

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/teensforfoodjustice/?hl=en

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/katherine.soll/

Linkedin — https://www.linkedin.com/company/teensforfoodjustice/

Youtube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4eHV1OR7WYIye2hvskhPGg

AgTech Marketing Team

Indoor AgCon

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VFP Host
Vertical Farming Podcast

The #1 podcast dedicated to the Vertical Farming market, projected to generate $12.8 globally by 2026.