From Kale Chips to Community: Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation’s Hydroponics Program

Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation School, Glenevis, AB
Grant term, 2024-2025

Abawashded Metodebi, Jasmine Alexis Magebid! My name is Jasmine Alexis, and I am a member of Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation.

I have been in our education department for 12 years with a passion for on-the-land learning. We are so happy to be able to be selected to work in partnership with Farm to Cafeteria Canada in our past 2024-2025 school year.

We are a First Nations school with a sacred language of Nakota Sioux dialect. We are one of the Northern Siouan tribes in Alberta, Canada. We are located in the Treaty 6 territory, 45 minutes west of Edmonton. We were able to assist with getting our project off the ground in May of 2024 in partnership with Grocers INC. Our population serves 241 students with an age demographic of 4-21 years of age. The Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation serves three educational institutions: Waka Mne Elementary School, Chief Aranazhi School, and Nikoodi Outreach.

The Seed grant has had a substantial positive impact on these schools, enabling the expansion of their hydroponics program through the purchase of additional supplies. The program currently utilizes a hydroponics trailer to cultivate spinach, kale, and lettuce, and there is keen interest in exploring the cultivation of other crops within the unit. This initiative is largely student-driven, with students in grades 4 through 6 actively participating under the guidance of their classroom teachers. The driving forces behind the program are Ms. Young and Mrs. Wells, dedicated elementary teachers at Waka Mne Elementary School.

Their initiative has been instrumental in the setup, maintenance, and harvesting processes of the hydroponics unit. The first harvest occurred in November 2024, a significant milestone that allowed each student to take home a bag of kale along with a recipe for preparing kale chips. This marked a crucial step in providing students with access to healthy food options, a challenge due to the limited availability of such options at the nearest grocery store. Currently, there is a high demand from students for lettuce to bring home, highlighting the program’s positive influence on their dietary choices.

We were able to provide our cafeteria staff with fresh produce made from our Hydroponics Trailer. When the students aren’t able to get into the trailer due to cold weather or illness, they are able to watch their produce through Google cameras. Each harvest ties into the Alberta curriculum and our land-based teachings.

We are yet to plan our grand opening in the coming fall to open it to the community to engage them in the importance of food sovereignty. So far, this is the only hydroponics trailer in the vicinity of Edmonton, Spruce Grove, and surrounding areas run and operated by an Indigenous school and students. Ishnish Pinamad for the opportunity to continue to provide nutritious meals to our students. We hope to receive more support in the future.