What If Your School Doesn’t Have the Space or Budget for a School Farm?
Explore compact, indoor vertical farming systems designed for Canadian classrooms affordable, scalable, and grant-friendly.
Teaching Sustainable Agriculture Without the Stress
More and more schools, teachers, and community educators across Canada want to bring sustainable agriculture into the classroom. But the challenges are real.
Time is tight. Budgets are limited. Not every school has the land, staffing, or curriculum flexibility to build an outdoor garden or manage a large-scale farm project.
That’s why Willow Brook Farms created a better path.
We help educators teach sustainability not as a one-time project, but as a living, year-round experience—right inside the classroom.
Why Sustainable Agriculture Belongs in Every Learning Environment
Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a survival skill. And in a time of climate shifts, supply chain instability, and growing food insecurity, it’s more relevant than ever to give students hands-on experiences that teach:
Where food comes from
How food affects health and community
What environmental impact our choices make
Why local food systems matter
By teaching sustainable agriculture, we’re equipping the next generation with the knowledge and confidence to lead in climate-conscious, community-minded ways.
But most educators are asking the same questions.
“We Don’t Have the Time or Curriculum Space”
Most teachers are already stretched. Finding time to add another subject let alone design a full agricultural program—can feel impossible.
That’s why our vertical tower systems and teaching tools are designed to fit into existing classes like:
Science and biology
Health and wellness
Indigenous studies
Environmental education
STEM and project-based learning
With plug-and-play guides, seasonal crop plans, and support materials, teaching sustainable agriculture becomes a seamless extension—not an added burden.
Our team can also work with your curriculum coordinator to customize learning experiences that match your school’s goals and provincial guidelines.
“We Can’t Afford to Build a Farm”
Not every school or program has the land—or the funding—to install an outdoor school farm. And that’s okay.
Our vertical farming towers are built specifically for indoor use in spaces like:
Classrooms
Science labs
Community halls
Libraries
After-school rooms
Wellness centres
Each system is:
Compact – fits in less than 3 square feet
Modular – expands as your program grows
Cost-effective – eligible for grants, donations, and community funding
Willow Brook Farms also supports schools in finding and applying for agriculture, climate, and food education grants across Canada.
“We Need Real, Hands-On Learning Experiences”
It’s one thing to talk about food systems. It’s another to let students plant, grow, harvest, and eat what they’ve helped create.
That’s the power of year-round, indoor farming.
With our systems, students learn:
How plants grow and what they need to thrive
What sustainable practices look like in real time
How to monitor pH, nutrients, and growing cycles
The satisfaction of producing fresh, healthy food
Whether you’re working with Grade 4s learning basic biology or high schoolers tackling food sovereignty and climate science, the towers offer a scalable, interactive platform for experiential learning.
“But I’m Not a Farming Expert”
Most teachers aren’t. And you don’t need to be.
We provide:
Initial system setup and training
Pre-formulated nutrient kits and growing schedules
Educational guides tailored to Canadian classrooms
Ongoing support from our grower team
Plus, our systems are already used in schools across Canada—especially within Indigenous communities and rural education programs—so you’re joining a growing network of educators redefining what agriculture education looks like.
You bring curiosity. We bring the tools.
The Lights On Movement: Where Education Meets Food Sovereignty
Through our Lights On Movement, we’ve partnered with Indigenous school boards, community leaders, and youth programs to install micro farms in learning environments that need more than just education they need solutions.
These programs are about:
Building food literacy
Supporting health and wellness
Reconnecting students to land and culture
Inspiring leadership through growing
Our vertical farming towers have become learning anchors—tools that help students understand systems thinking, sustainability, and their own power to grow change.
We’d love to bring that same opportunity to your school.
Indoor Agriculture for Real-World Education
Here’s what makes our systems different from standard classroom kits or window gardens:
Designed for Canadian Schools
Our towers are engineered in Canada, for Canadian climates and classrooms. That means low energy use, durable materials, and compatibility with real educational infrastructure.
Scalable by Design
Start with one tower. Expand as funding or space allows. Our systems are modular and mobile—perfect for testing before investing.
Curriculum-Ready
We’ve developed lesson starters and educator resources that support Alberta’s and other provinces’ core competencies in science, sustainability, Indigenous knowledge, and wellness.
Long-Term Value
With proper care, our systems last years—not semesters. And many are eligible for donation matching, grants, or partnership funding.
Who This Works For
Whether you’re in a rural school, urban centre, Indigenous community, or nonprofit program, our systems have helped:
Classroom teachers bring sustainability to life
Curriculum teams integrate hands-on STEM
Community mentors build land-based learning programs
Administrators support grant-backed school nutrition efforts
We’ll help you determine what size, system, and setup fits your needs and your learners.
Get Started with Sustainable Agriculture Education
If your school or organization is ready to teach sustainable agriculture in a way that’s:
Scalable
Affordable
Curriculum-aligned
Hands-on and high-impact
then we’d love to talk.
Let Willow Brook Farms help you grow the next generation of sustainability leaders—starting right in your own classroom.