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I sat down with special education teacher Alanna O’Donnell to explore how urban farming, gardening, and raising chickens are transforming learning for students with significant disabilities at P177Q, the Robin Sue Ward School for Exceptional Children in Queens, New York. Alanna shares how her background in service and community work shaped a teaching philosophy rooted in empathy, real-world learning, and trust in student capability. When traditional classroom approaches fell short, she turned to hands-on, outdoor learning—starting with a school garden and eventually bringing chickens into the school community.

The conversation dives into how caring for animals became a powerful educational tool. Through daily farm routines, students developed emotional regulation, communication, life skills, and confidence—often without realizing they were “learning” in the traditional sense. Alanna describes how students counted eggs, built coops, voted to name chickens, and learned to navigate both success and failure, including thoughtful conversations around loss. These experiences provided structure, purpose, and dignity, especially for nonverbal students and those who struggled with abstract instruction.

The episode also highlights the broader impact of the program, from a student-run farm and micro-enterprise to statewide recognition at an agricultural competition—the first time special education students were invited to participate. While they didn’t win, the experience affirmed the power of inclusion, visibility, and high expectations. Alanna reflected on what this model reveals about education, food systems, and community, and why experiential, farm-based learning offers a compelling blueprint for preparing students with disabilities for life beyond the classroom.

Chicks in the City Instagram
New York Ag in the Classroom
Robin Sue Ward School for Exceptional Children
Full Blogpost about the Podcast Interview with Alanna O'Donnell

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

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He is a nationally recognized biodynamic farmer, designer, entrepreneur, author, and educator. Daron Joffe—also known as Farmer D—was introduced to me by my friend Pattie Baker, who has long been inspired by his work and his mission.

Farmer D is the author of the acclaimed book Citizen Farmers: The Biodynamic Way to Grow Healthy Food, Build Thriving Communities, and Give Back to the Earth, and for more than 25 years he has been designing and building community farms and gardens across the country.

The Citizen Farmers movement is about far more than growing healthy food. It’s about how food—and the act of growing it—can transform ourselves, our communities, and our planet. Farmer D believes that each of us has the ability to create opportunity: to grow something, to compost, and to reconnect with the land in ways that benefit us physically, mentally, and emotionally.

He also believes that thriving communities begin with a farm. In this episode, we explore the concept of agrihoods—neighborhoods intentionally designed to integrate farms into their foundation. It’s a powerful idea, and one I’m especially hopeful will continue to evolve with authenticity, inclusivity, and accessibility for people across all income levels.

Farmer D’s work is also deeply rooted in his Jewish heritage, which has meaningfully influenced many of his projects and the way he approaches land stewardship, community, and purpose.

Join me for an inspiring conversation with a true agri-entrepreneur—someone who has expanded his passion for farming in unique, far-reaching, and deeply impactful ways. Enjoy my conversation with Farmer D.

Farmer D
Citizen Farmers
Serenbe
Coastal Roots Farm
Noah’s Ark Skirball Cultural Center

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

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She’s a young, inspiring agri-entrepreneur—and the CEO and Founder of Change Food for Good. Her name is Samia, also known as Sam Lemfadli. Sam is a Brooklyn native and technologist with a deep-rooted passion for sustainable agriculture.

She founded Change Food for Good, a New York City–based nonprofit dedicated to making sustainable agricultural technology more accessible in communities affected by food insecurity. Let’s pause on that for a moment—a nonprofit dedicated to making sustainable agricultural technology more accessible to areas impacted by food insecurity.

Sam recognized that technology is a key ingredient in feeding people, and she was driven to put those tools into the hands of individuals who want to learn, create, and innovate. Through her work, Change Food for Good motivates, inspires, and trains people to understand technology, build it, and invent new agricultural solutions—especially for urban environments.

Sam saw an important need and stepped forward to fill it. To date, she has placed over 200 program graduates into jobs and continues to bridge technology and agriculture through several innovative, community-based programs.

When I speak with people like Samia, I’m truly humbled by the depth and breadth of their vision—their foresight, their drive, and their willingness to take a leap of faith in pursuit of what they believe in. It reminds me of other changemakers I’ve had the privilege to interview, like Giany, Executive Director of Carolina Human Reinvestment, or Emily Stone, founder of Uncommon Cacao, who disrupted the global cacao economy.

I think you’ll feel humbled and inspired as well. Enjoy my conversation with Samia from Change Food for Good.

Change Food for Good

The Knowledge House

Brooklyn Supported Agriculture

Chipotle Cultivate Foundation

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network