-Editorial
San Diego State University is launching a new initiative to combat food insecurity and promote sustainable agriculture in the Imperial Valley. In partnership with SDSU’s Better Food Futures (BFF) NextGen and the nonprofit Garden 31, SDSU Imperial Valley kicked off the project with an event on Monday, March 24, in Calexico, where three garden beds will be installed to support student learning and fresh food accessibility.
BFF NextGen works to restore food and farming systems actively to renew the region’s land, improve environmental health, and bolster agricultural economies. These 8-foot by 4-foot beds will serve as a resource for students to learn about sustainable farming and produce fresh food for the campus community.
Dr. Lluvia Flores-Renteria, an associate professor in the Department of Biology at SDSU, is leading a project to install three raised garden beds on campus. These beds will allow students to grow their food and gain hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture.
“We are so excited to be working with students, faculty, and staff in Imperial Valley,” Flores-Renteria said. “This project is meant to fill a gap for students who struggle with access to fresh produce. Many students have to travel long distances to find fresh vegetables, and we want to provide them with a local and sustainable option.”
The program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies, is part of a larger effort to integrate agriculture, food sciences, and environmental sustainability into the university’s curriculum. Flores-Renteria emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing these regional challenges.
“Our team includes biologists, anthropologists, chemists, and nutritionists,” she said.
Imperial Valley is a major agricultural hub, supplying food to the nation, yet many residents, particularly students in cities like Calexico, face food insecurity. Flores-Renteria highlighted this paradox and hopes the program can make a difference.
“It’s shocking that a region producing so much food still has students who struggle to access it,” she said. “This is a little grain of contribution and we are trying to plant the seed, metaphorically, for students to start utilizing this and hope it expands at the university level but also with the disciplines and the careers that we need to address these issues.”
The raised garden beds will serve as a learning tool for students, incorporating hands-on agricultural training into their education. Faculty members are also incorporating research elements, such as soil quality analysis and crop productivity studies, to enhance the program’s impact.
Working on the garden beds were two gentlemen that began early Monday morning.
Garden 31, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching sustainable farming and character development, was founded by Chris Burroughs, who conceptualized the program while incarcerated. Andrew Mundy, the program director for Garden 31, shared the organization’s origins and its mission to empower youth through agriculture.
“Our program originated inside a prison,” Mundy said. “Chris Burroughs, our executive director, was incarcerated and had a moment of clarity where he asked God what he should do with his life. Organic farming came to mind, and he wrote a business plan while in prison. After serving his sentence, he came home and started this nonprofit six years ago.”
Mundy himself was sentenced to 144 years to life but was released in 2022 due to good behavior after serving nine years. Now, he works alongside Burroughs to bring agricultural education and food security solutions to underserved communities.
“We teach kids regenerative agriculture, small-scale farming, and character cultivation,” Mundy said.
The collaboration with SDSU Imperial Valley aligns with the university’s broader agricultural initiative, which seeks to provide students with fresh produce while addressing food insecurity on campus and in the surrounding community.
“Food insecurity is a major issue here, despite Imperial Valley being a top food producer,” Mundy said. “Many communities lack access to fresh, healthy food. We grew up in food deserts surrounded by fast food, liquor stores, and crime. Our program helps change that by teaching young people how to grow their food and take control of their health—physically, mentally, and spiritually.”
