CHANDER PAYNE
UNITED STATES, 17
Project: Urban Beet
Basic Human Needs: Food, Environment
During high school, Chander experienced the lack of nutritious food options in his school cafeteria. He discovered that climate change was amplifying the existing food-related challenges in Washington D.C. and creating “food deserts” – areas lacking affordable, high-quality food. In 2016, Chander founded Urban Beet to reimagine approaches to urban food security in the United States. They create urban farms to provide fresh, nutritious food to students and people experiencing homelessness in Washington D.C. By using regenerative agriculture, a farming technique that replenishes the soil, Urban Beet simultaneously tackles the issues of hunger and climate change. Urban Beet has built three urban farms, one of which hosts “Community Workdays” to teach regenerative agriculture skills to students and homeless youth. In addition to producing high-quality food, Chander works to create a safe space for marginalized children, where they can learn how to grow food on their own. Urban Beet has supplied 2,500 pounds of fresh produce to underserved families and homeless young people in Washington D.C., while engaging 200 students in the process. In 2019, Urban Beet was recognized with the T-Mobile Changemaker Challenge Award for their impact. Urban Beet expects rapid growth in 2020, including additional chapters at three D.C. high schools and expansion into more cities in the United States. Urban Beet has a goal to produce and distribute 10,000 pounds of produce by the end of 2020. Chander is working to achieve a holistic food system in the United States that nourishes people, regenerates the soil and promotes a sustainable environment.