As farmers across Australia face rising uncertainty around whether they will be able to plant or harvest crops this year – driven by rising fuel and fertiliser costs, drought conditions and forecasts of a super El Niño – a public school in inner-city Sydney is demonstrating a practical, local solution to the nation’s growing food security challenge.
Students at Alexandria Park Community School celebrated the first harvest from a rooftop Food Ladder greenhouse, growing fresh produce onsite for use within the school community.
The Food Ladder greenhouse, funded by the City of Sydney, is part of the organisation’s growing movement to build more resilient, localised food systems – reducing reliance on increasingly fragile and expensive supply chains.
Food insecurity is already rising sharply across Australia, with one in three households affected (Foodbank Hunger Report 2025), and the impacts are increasingly visible in schools. At the same time, escalating input costs and climate pressures are expected to further constrain national food production in the years ahead.
Against this backdrop, Food Ladder’s model is gaining traction as a scalable, future-focused solution.
Food Ladder CEO Kelly McJannett said the first harvest is a tangible example of how communities can take control of their food future.
“We’re seeing a perfect storm – rising fuel and fertiliser costs, climate pressures and global instability – all of which are putting enormous strain on our food system,” Ms McJannett said.
“Farmers are questioning whether they’ll be able to plant or harvest this season, and that uncertainty flows directly through to families and schools. Food Ladder is designed to protect the food sovereignty of vulnerable communities by growing fresh, nutritious food locally, regardless of external conditions.
“We’re looking to see greater support and investment in this kind of infrastructure that will soon become more essential than ever, so we can scale solutions that genuinely build resilience where it’s needed most.”
Ms McJannett said Food Ladder is evolving its rollout model in response to demand.
“Where we once deployed one Food Ladder greenhouse at a time, we are now moving to a cluster model – rolling out multiple greenhouses across communities simultaneously,” she said.
“We already have 20 additional Food Ladder greenhouses planned across the Sydney LGA, with similar clusters planned in major cities and regional communities where food insecurity is impacting children’s engagement and wellbeing.”
Located on the rooftop of Alexandria Park Community School and powered entirely by solar energy, the Food Ladder greenhouse uses climate-controlled hydroponic technology to grow produce year-round in the heart of the city.
Principal of Alexandria Park Community School, Debra Lade, said the program is already deeply embedded in the school’s culture.
“At Alexandria Park, we have a diverse and vibrant student community, and we’re always looking for ways to support both wellbeing and learning outcomes,” Ms Lade said.
“The Food Ladder greenhouse gives students the opportunity to see the full journey of food – from planting through to harvest – and to experience that hands-on.
“It’s become part of our everyday learning environment and the students genuinely love being involved. Seeing them harvest produce and then turn it into something they can eat and share is incredibly powerful.”
Georgia Sammon, teacher at Alexandria Park said the program is already making a difference in the classroom.
“The Food Ladder greenhouse has been a wonderful experience thus far. It’s provided students with agency to see a seed from the very beginning of its life, through its growth cycle and then to harvest,” Ms Sammon said.
“Being able to see that full journey has been incredibly impactful for our students here at Alexandria Park.”
Students at Alexandria Park Community School were asked what they thought was the coolest thing about the Food Ladder greenhouse, with enthusiastic responses including: “You get to grow and harvest the plants yourself”, “No bugs or pests”, “Checking the pH levels and electrical conductivity”, “There are no weeds”, and, importantly, “The plants are delicious.”
Food Ladder’s greenhouses are designed to be highly efficient, producing fresh food using significantly less water and space than traditional farming, while operating independently of external climate conditions.
The organisation has already partnered with 52 schools across Australia, engaging more than 17,000 students with 7.3 tonnes of fresh produce grown annually, supplementing thousands of meals and improving attendance, engagement and wellbeing outcomes.
With global food systems under increasing pressure, initiatives like the Alexandria Park Food Ladder greenhouse are demonstrating how local, scalable infrastructure can play a critical role in safeguarding future food security.
“Food security is one of the defining challenges of our time,” Ms McJannett said. “What we’re seeing here is that solutions can start locally – in schools, in communities – and scale rapidly to meet the moment.”
For more information, please visit foodladder.org.
INDEPENDENT NEWS IS IMPORTANT.
Enjoy reading Eco Voice? Please help us by purchasing a GIFT Voucher or send one to a friend and encourage people to purchase trees or seeds via The Native Shop – www.nativeshop.com.au
Plants, seeds & more delivered to your door!
