Geelong school farms frontline in fight against rising food poverty
A school farming program is teaching students how to combat soaring food prices while gaining hands-on agricultural experience that’s already feeding local families.
Geelong schools are harvesting 250kg of fresh produce weekly to combat a surge in families requiring food relief across the region.
Geelong High Year 12 student Alex Barrios is one of many local students using farming to reduce food insecurity in his community.
Alex, 17, is currently undertaking a traineeship at Farm My School’s farm at Bellarine Secondary College.
At the farm, Alex, along with two other interns, 17 students in the farming elective, and a full-time farmer, help harvest an average of 250kg of fresh produce weekly.
The produce is made available to students and their families through veggie boxes, the school canteen, food technology classes and community workshops.
The course, Alex said, not only reduced the grocery bill for his own Portarlington family, but also for the many families the school helps feed through charity food boxes.
“I’ve just planted tomatoes in my veggie patch,” he said.
“It’s practical knowledge that I can bring home.
“It’s also supporting my family economically.”
The program has helped combat growing food security among school community.
Geelong Foodshare reportedly donated more than 52,000 meals weekly in the region during the 2024/25 financial year, 44 per cent increase on the year prior.
Across Geelong, 90 per cent of food relief agencies have reported increasing service demand over the past year, with 78 per cent of people relying on food agencies for the first time.
Bellarine Secondary College leaders said more students were seeking free lunch from the school office, reaching out for financial support with excursions and accessing State School relief.
Farm My School co-founder James McLennan said the garden showed schools could address food shortages through farming.
“Emergency food relief is essential, but it’s a temporary solution,” he said.
“We need to build community capacity and resilience from the ground up.
“When young people learn to grow food regeneratively, when families develop cooking skills and food literacy, when communities have access to locally-grown, chemical-free produce, that’s when we start to shift the system.
“The produce provides affordable, nutrient-dense food alternatives to families facing cost-of-living pressures.”
In 2026, Farm My School is launching a second farm at Colac Secondary College.
“With only 3.9 per cent of adults meeting fruit and vegetable guidelines and 12.1 per cent anxious about affording food, the need is clear,” Mr McLennan said.
“Following the Bellarine blueprint, we know we can create something transformative, a 2-acre market garden that becomes not just a source of fresh produce, but a catalyst for community health, student engagement, and environmental stewardship.”
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Originally published as Geelong school farms frontline in fight against rising food poverty
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