A 16-year-old student from New Jersey has turned a backyard soil-free farming experiment into an urban agriculture project that has donated more than 3,500 pounds of fresh produce to local food pantries while also helping shape local laws. Arjun Jain, a student from Holmdel, New Jersey, started experimenting with hydroponics in his backyard after seeing how food insecurity affected nearby communities. Hydroponics allows plants to grow in water filled with nutrients instead of traditional soil. It can use much less water and land than standard farming. What began as a small personal project soon grew into a nonprofit organisation called HydroProduce. Through the initiative, Jain installed automated hydroponic growing systems in community spaces, school gardens and local facilities. The systems have produced thousands of pounds of fresh vegetables for families in need across Monmouth and Middlesex counties. According to a profile published by Action for Nature, an international environmental organisation that named Jain a 2024 International Young Eco-Hero, the project has provided fresh, nutrient-rich greens to food banks that often have difficulty keeping fresh vegetables available.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
Expanding access to fresh greens
Traditional food banks often rely on canned and other shelf-stable foods because fresh produce spoils quickly and needs more storage space. Jain developed hydroponic systems to provide leafy greens, tomatoes and herbs throughout the year at distribution centres. His team built small, vertical hydroponic units that could grow vegetables indoors or in limited outdoor spaces without requiring large areas of farmland. The project received support from local communities, schools and civic groups. Jain also conducted workshops for young people and residents, showing them how to build low-cost hydroponic systems using easily available materials. The workshops also taught families ways to grow some of their own food at home. The project later drew attention from environmental groups and local government officials across New Jersey. It demonstrated how small-scale technology could help communities with limited access to fresh produce.
Shaping local municipal laws
Jain's work also moved beyond growing food and into local policy. As his urban farming projects grew, he found that local zoning rules did not always cover newer forms of soil-free farming. Many municipal planning rules in suburban New Jersey did not clearly address vertical farms, indoor growing structures or community hydroponic systems on residential or public property. After identifying these gaps, Jain worked with local officials and planning boards to help develop clear rules for soil-free farming. His research, data collection and advocacy contributed to the drafting and approval of two local ordinances in New Jersey. The new rules created clear legal guidelines for residents and community groups that wanted to operate hydroponic and vertical farming systems. By reducing administrative barriers, the updated laws made it easier for schools, community centres and neighbourhood groups to establish local food-growing systems. Action for Nature highlighted this policy work in its awards documentation, saying Jain's work with municipal councils showed how young environmental advocates can contribute to long-term policy changes while also working directly in their communities.
International recognition for youth advocacy
The impact of the HydroProduce project earned Jain international recognition through the 2024 International Young Eco-Hero Awards. Action for Nature gives the annual awards to young people aged 8 to 16 who carry out their own environmental projects and create measurable benefits for their communities. A panel of judges, including environmental scientists and educators, selected Jain based on the project's environmental benefits, community impact and policy work. Jain has also worked to share his hydroponic designs internationally. He created simple, open-source plans for hydroponic units that could be used in areas with limited resources. The designs are intended to help communities facing water shortages or poor soil conditions. Jain continues to expand HydroProduce while attending school. His current work includes installing more growing systems in local schools and working with regional food rescue organisations to increase the amount of produce the project can provide each week.
