NGFP-YV Youth winner Update: Looking Ahead with Compost ~ Regenerative Farming and the Spring Farm Festival ‘25

By Jade Brannon, Age 14

Hi everyone!

It’s Jade again! I’m back with an update on my journey with the Grassroots Compost Project—my second blog since I started sharing my work through Teach the Future. A lot has happened since I first wrote about composting during the Harvest Farm Festival in Fall 2024, and I’ve learned even more about how small changes can lead to a big future.

One tool I’ve started using this year is something called Backcasting—a way of futures thinking that helps me imagine a better future (where more families compost and grow their own food) and then plan the steps backward from that future to today. This helps me grow my project with more purpose each year!

Why Composting Still Matters

Composting is a big part of farming and gardening because it turns food scraps and garden waste into healthy soil. Instead of throwing away banana peels, eggshells, or grass clippings, we can reuse them to help grow more food! That’s why I want to keep teaching families how easy and powerful composting can be.

In 2023, I started this project and was honored to win recognition for SDG 1 in the No Poverty category with the NGFP-YV Awards. That moment made me realize this isn’t just a school project—it’s something that can really help people. Most teens my age don’t know a lot about farming, so it feels great to show other youth that we can make a difference in our communities by staying connected to nature.

From Fall to Spring – The Festivals Continue!

At the Harvest Farm Festival last year, I presented my composting project to local families. This year, I’ll be back for the Spring Farm Festival on May 30, 2025—sharing even more tips and showing new families how to compost from scratch. I’m so excited to keep growing this work!

It means a lot to be seen as a youth Indigenous farmer who’s helping people around the world understand regenerative farming. I believe composting is a big part of the future—especially for making farming more sustainable and for helping families grow their own food without chemicals.

How to Make Your Own Compost

You don’t need anything fancy to get started. Most compost materials come from around your house or backyard. Here’s how I layer my compost pile to help it break down and turn into healthy soil in just 2–3 months:

Compost Levels (from bottom to top):

1. Coarse Pruning's

2. Grass Clippings

3. Garden Waste

4. Kitchen Waste

5. Soil

After it’s ready, you can plant fruits and veggies in your new soil—and that means less trips to the store and more fresh food for your family!

Why I Keep Going

Winning an award for this project was amazing—but what matters even more is seeing families try composting for the first time. Knowing I helped inspire someone to take care of their land and community makes me feel proud and happy. Farming has taught me a lot. It’s peaceful, powerful, and a great way to live. I believe if more kids like me learned how to compost and grow their own food, we could help end food insecurity and take better care of our planet.

That’s why I’m still here, still teaching, and still composting.

Thanks for listening! I hope to see some of you at the Spring Farm Festival.

-Jade

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🌱 NGFP-YV Awards: Applications now open!   https://www.teachthefuture.org/

The Next Generation Foresight Practitioner – Young Voices (NGFP-YV) 2025 Awards are looking for youth ages 12–17 who are creating a better future. First place receives a $1000 prize, with three others awarded $500, and 17 total projects highlighted—each one aligned with one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). If you're curious about the world, passionate about the future, and ready to make a difference, this opportunity is for you! Deadline to apply: July 31, 2025.