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Haley Lucitt
LALA Farm Manager 213-381-8484 Ext. 3304 hlucitt@laleadership.org Haley Lucitt, our Farm Manager, is passionate about bridging the gap between nutrition knowledge and food access by growing fresh, nutrient dense produce for the local community. It has been her goal to sell affordable produce from the LALA Farm at the Lincoln Heights Farmers Market, enabling students to engage with and provide for our wonderful community. On the farm, she prioritizes regenerative agriculture practices and feeding the soil, using no artificial fertilizers or pesticides. Above all is always student involvement and fostering a sense of stewardship over the land we are fortunate to farm on. |
LALA Farm
The mission for Los Angeles Leadership Academy Farm is to provide students and the local community with the skills necessary to grow fresh produce at home and to instill a deep appreciation for the food that they consume. Nestled in the hills of Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles Leadership Academy serves students that are primarily part of minority groups. These groups often suffer from “food deserts” and routinely have to combat transgenerational unhealthy eating habits. By engaging students in the development of the farm we seek to make students advocates for food literacy and turn them into conscious consumers of food. In addition to improving the health of students, our goal is that teachers implement lesson plans that utilize the farm to demonstrate real-world applications for the concepts that students learn in classes such as biology, chemistry, history, and economics.
The farm began in 2013 as a student project to assess the feasibility of a campus farm. Dedicated students joined forces with faculty to implement the project, and over the next several years, the organization grew. The farm is run by a farm manager with seasonal help from a Harvard student intern. Most importantly, students from some classes have contributed to farm improvements as part of class projects, volunteer events, or community events. Many volunteers participate in open work days and volunteer throughout the year at the LALA Farm. The Farm also offers educational workshops and hosts tours and events.
The farm began in 2013 as a student project to assess the feasibility of a campus farm. Dedicated students joined forces with faculty to implement the project, and over the next several years, the organization grew. The farm is run by a farm manager with seasonal help from a Harvard student intern. Most importantly, students from some classes have contributed to farm improvements as part of class projects, volunteer events, or community events. Many volunteers participate in open work days and volunteer throughout the year at the LALA Farm. The Farm also offers educational workshops and hosts tours and events.
Welcome back to everyone - students, parents, teachers, and staff! It is so fun to be seeing you all again. My name is Ms. Haley, and I currently manage the LALA Farm. For those of you unfamiliar with what we do on the farm, here is a little introduction. In short, we educate our students about agriculture and its importance, all while growing produce year-round that gets donated to our community. We have an array of fruit trees, from pomegranates and figs to many different kinds of citrus. We even have a few avocado trees! In the beds of the wooden terraces is where we grow most of our veggies. We currently have a variety of summer crops planted, like cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini. If you are ever curious to see how the food on your plate looks as it grows or how it tastes freshly picked, I encourage you to stop by the farm. Zucchini plants get surprisingly huge, and our row of tomatoes looks like a forest! There is usually something to harvest every day, and students are encouraged to bring home whatever kind of produce they like. It is also a place to observe nature in action. There are lizards, butterflies, and birds galore!
Despite distance learning over the past year and a half, we have done our best to connect virtually and provide for our community. The students and I have all grown some plants together, despite the distance. Last year’s take-home farm kits of lettuce and cilantro and all the educational materials that went along with them have been ways for us to get time away from our screens and connect with nature. The feedback has been very positive, and I have loved receiving photos from students of their seeds sprouting.
Given the success of these farm kits, along with the fact that the farm is still not accessible to all students because of Covid, we are going to be passing out farm kits again this school year. The middle school students will be growing a lettuce mix, and the high school students will be growing broccoli. Within the next few weeks, we will begin to pass out all the needed materials, so keep an eye out for updates on this matter.
All these efforts to provide students with hands-on agricultural education is due in large part to the USDA Farm to School Grant that LALA received in 2020. The grant is also allowing us to make some exciting updates to the farm. We have laid concrete in preparation for a new walk-in cooler. This will allow us to keep our produce fresher for longer. We will also be building some new beds up the hillside and expanding the growable space of our farm. These will be designated homeroom plots. Though this construction is expected to take some time and likely won't be finished for a few months, it is definitely something to be excited about.
The LALA Farm remains a beautiful and peaceful place to be. It is a pillar of the community, and we look forward to safely hosting volunteer opportunities and teaching days as pandemic restrictions ease in the months ahead. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me at hlucitt@laleadership.org.
Despite distance learning over the past year and a half, we have done our best to connect virtually and provide for our community. The students and I have all grown some plants together, despite the distance. Last year’s take-home farm kits of lettuce and cilantro and all the educational materials that went along with them have been ways for us to get time away from our screens and connect with nature. The feedback has been very positive, and I have loved receiving photos from students of their seeds sprouting.
Given the success of these farm kits, along with the fact that the farm is still not accessible to all students because of Covid, we are going to be passing out farm kits again this school year. The middle school students will be growing a lettuce mix, and the high school students will be growing broccoli. Within the next few weeks, we will begin to pass out all the needed materials, so keep an eye out for updates on this matter.
All these efforts to provide students with hands-on agricultural education is due in large part to the USDA Farm to School Grant that LALA received in 2020. The grant is also allowing us to make some exciting updates to the farm. We have laid concrete in preparation for a new walk-in cooler. This will allow us to keep our produce fresher for longer. We will also be building some new beds up the hillside and expanding the growable space of our farm. These will be designated homeroom plots. Though this construction is expected to take some time and likely won't be finished for a few months, it is definitely something to be excited about.
The LALA Farm remains a beautiful and peaceful place to be. It is a pillar of the community, and we look forward to safely hosting volunteer opportunities and teaching days as pandemic restrictions ease in the months ahead. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me at hlucitt@laleadership.org.
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