After observing her young son’s limited understanding of where food came from, former advertising professional Pragati Chaswal decided to rethink how children learn about food and nature. She completed a Diploma in Organic Farming and founded the SowGood Foundation in 2017 to promote hands-on environmental education in schools.
Today, the initiative has reached around 78,000 children across 28 schools in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, including 20 government and eight private schools. Through school gardens and other practical learning spaces, students are introduced to farming, composting, biodiversity and sustainable living.
A Personal Observation That Inspired Change
Pragati Chaswal‘s journey into sustainability began with an observation at home. After stepping away from a decade-long career in advertising, she noticed that her young son showed little curiosity about where the vegetables on his plate came from. The experience led her to reflect on how children learn about food, nature and the environment.
Seeking to explore sustainable agriculture herself, she completed a Diploma in Organic Farming before establishing the SowGood Foundation in 2017. According to the foundation, its objective is to help children develop a practical understanding of soil, food systems, biodiversity and sustainable living through hands-on learning rather than classroom instruction alone.
Bringing Environmental Education Into Schools
Since its inception, the SowGood Foundation has partnered with schools to create green learning spaces where students can engage directly with nature. Rather than treating gardening as a standalone activity, the programme incorporates practical experiences into the school environment through gardening, composting and sustainability projects.
According to the foundation, the programme currently operates across 28 schools in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, including 20 government schools and eight private schools. School gardens, rooftop gardens, unused corners of campuses and vertical gardens made from recycled bottles are used as learning spaces where students grow seasonal crops such as spinach and beans while learning about soil health, composting, waste segregation, biodiversity and responsible pest management.
A Structured Learning Journey
The foundation follows a three-stage learning framework designed to encourage environmental awareness and sustainable habits over time.
The first stage, Vichaar, encourages children to observe nature and ask questions about the environment. The second stage, Aachar, focuses on developing everyday practices such as composting, waste segregation and caring for plants. The final stage, Prachar, encourages students to share these practices with their families and communities.
According to the foundation, the programme combines practical gardening activities with classroom learning to help students better understand environmental concepts through experience.
Measuring Impact Beyond The Garden
The foundation says its work extends beyond growing vegetables. According to SowGood Foundation, more than 60 tonnes of waste have been diverted from landfills through composting and sustainable waste management practices introduced in participating schools.
The foundation also says participating schools have reported stronger student engagement and improved attendance during experiential learning sessions. While these outcomes have been reported by the foundation and participating schools, they have not been independently evaluated as part of this story.
By encouraging children to interact directly with soil, plants and natural ecosystems, the initiative seeks to foster greater environmental awareness and encourage sustainable habits from an early age.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
As conversations around sustainability and climate resilience continue to grow, initiatives that introduce children to nature through practical learning can complement conventional classroom education. Programmes such as the SowGood Foundation demonstrate one approach to helping students better understand food systems, biodiversity and responsible environmental practices through everyday experiences.
Helping children build a closer relationship with nature may also encourage habits that benefit both their communities and the environment over the long term. Could more schools incorporate hands-on environmental learning into their everyday curriculum to help prepare students for a more sustainable future?
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