Pillar 02 — Learn
When people understand where their food comes from, how soil works, and why local food systems matter, they become agents of change. Zawadi Connections brings that understanding to schools, community spaces, and educator networks across Toronto.
Zawadi Connections is a confirmed presenter at Harvesting Knowledge: Linking Food Justice and Climate Action — the annual professional learning conference hosted by the Toronto District School Board and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. This conference brings approximately 175 K-12 educators and OISE graduate students together at Evergreen Brickworks for a full day of workshops, keynotes, and an Eco-Fair.
Two 90-minute workshops on vermicomposting as a living classroom, morning and afternoon
Topics: soil health, urban food growing, and the relationship between land and food justice
Eco-Fair presence connecting educators to Zawadi Farm programs during the lunch break
Hands-on tools and frameworks educators can bring directly to their K-12 classrooms
Date: October 2026
They require no special equipment. They work in any school, any community space, any backyard. And they make the invisible visible — turning kitchen scraps into living soil right in front of your eyes. Our vermicomposting workshops are hands-on, curriculum-aligned, and designed for all ages and experience levels.
The science of decomposition and soil biology in plain language
Connections to food systems, waste reduction, and climate action
Practical skills: setting up a worm bin, maintaining it, harvesting castings
Tools educators can bring directly to K-12 classrooms and TDSB EcoSchools programs
Learn programs align with the Ontario Trillium Foundation Youth Opportunities Fund, TDSB Community Partnerships, Ontario Ministry of Education food literacy priorities, and the Peter Gilgan Foundation — with the TDSB and OISE conference as verifiable institutional proof of impact.
Support Our WorkZawadi Connections educates community gardeners, farmers, and students on how to understand, test, and restore the soils they grow in. Our soil health programming connects to the Soil Test Interpreter at zawadi.farm — an AI-powered tool that translates technical soil test results into plain-language guidance for any grower.
Reading soil tests: pH, organic matter, and nutrient levels
Understanding depleted urban soils and practical restoration approaches
Organic soil restoration practices suited to Toronto's growing contexts
The link between soil health, food nutrition, and long-term climate resilience
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