Amazon and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia announced the launch of an extensive urban food garden initiative to improve nutrition for children in municipal schools in India on 14 November 2024. The initiative aims to set up a network of 75 urban food gardens in municipal schools across Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Built on India’s School Nutrition Garden Scheme, this initiative will provide 15 million nutritious meals to children in need, over the next 3 years. This project will help to improve pollinator population (the decline of which is a global crisis) along with overall biodiversity in schools.

The gardens are meticulously designed small cultivation spaces in urban areas promoting local food production and community engagement. In addition to encouraging state schools to grow food and supplying a greater variety of fresh produce in students’ midday meals, the initiative also supports educational experiences in composting and rainwater recycling.  

The urban food garden initiative is supported through Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund, a $100 million initiative supporting climate resilience and nature conservation in communities where it operates. This fund finances nature-based solutions that complement Amazon’s broader operational decarbonisation and sustainability efforts. Urban gardens created through this initiative are designed to be biodiverse, productive, and resilient to the adverse impacts of climate change, contributing to the overall wellbeing of the environment and communities involved.

“The urban garden initiative with ICLEI South Asia is not just about growing food, it’s about nourishing futures. This aligns deeply with Amazon’s commitment to conserving, restoring, and supporting nature and our communities,” said Abhinav Singh, Vice President Operations, Amazon India. “By supporting this transformative initiative, we’re investing in the wellbeing of India’s youth and communities, environment, and sustainable development goals.”

“Children, particularly those in municipal schools, can often be at risk of food insecurity. By integrating school food gardens into the educational system, we empower these children with more than just nutritious meals – we provide them with hands-on learning experiences, fostering a deeper connection to the food they grow,” said Emani Kumar, Executive Director, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia. “Together with Amazon, we are committed to sowing the seeds of a healthier and more sustainable future for these children.”

In areas where space is limited, machaan (trellis) farming, or multilayer farming, will be employed to support year-round cultivation. This system helps to effectively utilize space, with vegetable plants such as ginger cultivated on the ground, and creepers covering the top of the trellis. Where there is space in the middle, tomatoes and brinjals can be grown. This practice of creating micro-habitats not only increases crop diversity, but also addresses the challenges of water logging and enhances overall produce availability. The urban gardens will also offer an improved habitat that enhances the air-quality and supports food base for pollinator species such as bees, and helping pollinator diversity, which will contribute to addressing the global crisis of pollinator decline. Additionally, these sustainable green spaces will serve as a valuable educational tool, giving students firsthand experience with natural processes such as pollination and plant growth cycles.

In 2023, Amazon announced it was investing US$15 million from the Right Now Climate Fund to support nature-based projects that benefit communities, climate resilience, and biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. This includes US$3 million from the fund’s APAC allocation to support projects in India. As its first project, Amazon has partnered with the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) to plant 300,000 trees in the Western Ghats over three years, creating carbon sinks as well as enhancing livelihoods and wildlife conservation. In Europe, Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund has allocated €20 million to nature-based projects. Amazon has also funded forest conservation and restoration in the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. Furthermore, Amazon is a founding member of The LEAF Coalition, a global public-private initiative working to mobilize over $1 billion to protect the world’s tropical rainforests.