The Wild Elements Support + Feed Hydro-Wild Initiative brings hydroponic farming and climate education to LA youth through BGCMLA.
Wild Elements Support + Feed Hydro-Wild Initiative: A New Model for Food Equity & Climate Education
Los Angeles is no stranger to innovation—from Hollywood stages to Silicon Beach labs—but the newest breakthrough is happening inside a shipping container in Watts. The Wild Elements Support + Feed Hydro-Wild Initiative is transforming a hydroponic farm into a hands-on classroom where young people learn to grow nutrient-rich food, understand climate resilience, and reconnect personal health with planetary well-being.
Launching July 2022, this partnership between Wild Elements, Support + Feed, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles (BGCMLA) brings a bold, fun-loving spirit to the fight against food insecurity. And honestly, it’s refreshing to see a project that’s as practical as it is inspiring—especially for a community that deserves both access and opportunity.
For cities like NYC, Washington D.C., Hong Kong, Chicago, San Francisco, and Atlanta—where sustainability meets culture—this initiative reflects the future: hyper-local, thoughtful, and community-powered.
Inside the Hydro-Wild Lab: A Hydroponic Farm With Big Purpose
Housed inside a shipping container at the Watts-Willowbrook Clubhouse, the Hydro-Wild Lab functions as a working indoor farm and innovation hub. Students will learn the science behind their favorite veggies, how food shapes personal wellness, and the cultural history of growing practices in their own communities.
Hydroponic farming is one of the most efficient agricultural methods on the planet. It uses up to 10x less water, grows in small spaces, bypasses poor soil quality, and produces nutrient-dense crops quickly—ideal for drought-prone California and dense urban neighborhoods.
The curriculum, co-developed by Support + Feed and Wild Elements, brings technology, ecology, and creativity together in a way that feels as hands-on as it is hopeful.
A Community-Specific Program Designed for Watts
This initiative is tailored specifically for the Watts-Willowbrook Clubhouse. By blending agriculture with climate education, it addresses the intertwined challenges of food insecurity, health disparities, and environmental stress.
Hydro-wild farming, especially in urban centers, allows communities to grow produce indoors with fewer natural resources. It empowers residents with the skills and confidence to reclaim food autonomy—a crucial step in areas where fresh produce is limited.
Wild Elements puts it clearly:
“AT WILD ELEMENTS, WE’RE WORKING FOR A REGENERATIVE FUTURE WHERE ALL LIVING THINGS CAN THRIVE.
NIKKI ESLAMI
FOUNDER & CEO, WILD ELEMENTS
WE CAN DO IT WITH INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS LIKE THE HYDRO-WILD LAB, WHICH MERGES TECH, AGRICULTURE, HEALTH, EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT, ALL IN ONE SHIPPING CONTAINER.
BY GROWING FRESH PRODUCE WHILE USING LESS WATER AND LESS LAND,
THE HYDRO-WILD LAB PROMOTES FOOD EQUITY, PLANT-BASED NUTRITION, AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE,
ALL WHILE INVESTING IN ONE VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOOD AND ITS URBAN ECOSYSTEM.
WILD ELEMENTS IS THRILLED TO PARTNER WITH OUR FRIENDS AT SUPPORT AND FEED AND BGCMLA
TO BRING THIS TRANSFORMATIVE PILOT PROGRAM TO THE BGCMLA STUDENTS AT THE WATTS-WILLOWBROOK CLUBHOUSE,”
NIKKI ESLAMI, FOUNDER & CEO, WILD ELEMENTS.
It’s the kind of mission that has real flavor—equal parts ambition, innovation, and community love.
Support + Feed: Bringing Plant-Based Advocacy to the Next Generation
Founded during the pandemic by Maggie Baird—lifetime climate activist, screenwriter, and mother to Billie Eilish and FINNEAS—Support + Feed focuses on creating an equitable, plant-based food ecosystem.
Their approach centers on collaborating with community leaders already doing the work. They bring resources, training, and support tailored to local needs.
Baird explains:
“Through the power of partnership, we can work together, providing strategies to address existing problems and help change the futures. This exciting step (the Hydro-Wild Lab) goes back to our mission, to support organizers and nonprofits that are already doing great work. When we pool our resources, together we can uplift the community.”
For readers interested in plant-based nutrition and equitable food systems, the Harvard School of Public Health offers research-backed insights: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
BGCMLA: A Legacy of Supporting Youth in Los Angeles
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles serve some of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods through academic success, healthy lifestyles, and character-building programs.
Patrick Mahoney, President & CEO, underscores why the Hydro-Wild Lab matters:
“Our Watts community has been long challenged by lack of success. The Hydro-Wild Lab will provide an opportunity BGCMLA youth to grow and consume healthy foods but will also serve as a critical tool for community and family dialogue around creating healthier eating habits. In a community where diabetes has a 72% higher mortality rate than the average community, the Hydro-Wild Lab will serve as a great education and awareness tool that can help save lives.”
This is community change happening in real time—rooted in care, empowerment, and hands-on education.
A Pilot With National Ambitions
This program is only the beginning. Wild Elements, Support + Feed, and BGCMLA plan to scale the Hydro-Wild Lab model nationwide. The goal: bring sustainable, nutrient-dense food systems to more communities, inspire young leaders, and spark citywide conversations about health, resilience, and food access.
It’s a model that cities from Miami to Berlin could easily rally behind.
FAQ: The Hydro-Wild Initiative
Q: What is the Hydro-Wild Lab?
A: A working indoor hydroponic farm housed in a shipping container, designed to teach sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and climate science.
Q: Who created the curriculum?
A: Support + Feed and Wild Elements co-developed the multi-week program for students at the Watts-Willowbrook Clubhouse.
Q: Why is hydroponics important in urban communities?
A: It requires less land and water, grows food quickly, and provides high-nutrient produce in neighborhoods lacking fresh food access.
A Regenerative Step Toward a Healthier Future
The Wild Elements Support + Feed Hydro-Wild Initiative proves what’s possible when innovation, compassion, and community come together. This project isn’t just about food—it’s about giving young people the tools to shape a healthier, more resilient future.
Los Angeles often leads cultural change, and with initiatives like this, the city shows how deeply local action can ripple outward. This is a future worth growing.
