Sprout By Design builds innovative outdoor and indoor growing environments for schools, community-based groups, and other youth and senior based agencies where they also craft workshops to further educate these individuals. These communities play a critical role in crafting workshops for teenagers and adults and seniors throughout the City of New York. The Sprout team works with community groups, socially-minded entrepreneurs, and civic groups where they design and build urban farms, greenhouses, and formulate hydroponic and aquaponics systems for growing off-season.

Problem: Evaluating the importance of the program and exploring the value of urban farming would improve family relationships.
Role: Lead Researcher conducted a contextual inquiry and oversaw ethnographic observations and informal interviews with staff at specific locations like Leike Wilkes and Horizon Juvenile Detention Centers in the Bronx and Crossroads in Brooklyn.

Solution: The findings highlighted areas for improvement for creating bilingual workshops, and workshops with parents and staff.
Impact: The increased value of the urban farming program for aiding in learning and obtaining credit towards a High School diploma. And made students more aware of the value of health, nutrition, urban farming, and entrepreneurial practices.