Urban Agriculture
at TERI Farms
What is TERI's Urban Agriculture Program?
TERI’s Urban Agriculture Program provides adults with special needs hands-on opportunities to grow food and build life skills, while contributing to the community. Using organic and regenerative practices, TERI maintains a campus farm, several home gardens, and our TERI Microgreens social enterprise. Our agriculture program participants learn every step of the growing process from planting seeds to harvesting while providing fresh produce to the TERI Residential Program, which operates 13 homes located in neighborhoods throughout North County San Diego. The agriculture program combines nutrition education, environmental stewardship, and meaningful outdoor activity in a supportive, nature-rich setting designed to promote independence, confidence, and well-being.
Growing with Purpose
In partnership with Foodshed and Garden 31, each week, TERI Farms are harvested, and fresh produce from our gardens is delivered to our residential homes, where healthy menus are prepared by our residents, supporting their overall health and well-being.
Gardening is also a blue zone–friendly activity, promoting movement, purpose, stress reduction, and meaningful connection.
What Participants Learn
TERI program participants gain practical skills and knowledge, including:
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Growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and microgreens using regenerative farming practices.
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Understanding environmental stewardship and sustainable food systems.
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Learning how nutrition impacts physical and emotional well-being.
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Our campus farm also serves as a vocational intern location for our Vocational Internship Program, developing workplace and job-readiness skills through agricultural activities.
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Our home gardens teach life skills to TERI residents who learn the farm-to-table lifestyle.
Program Impact
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Building Vocational – By operating farms, TERI Vocational Interns have a place to develop transferable workplace skills in agriculture.
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Strengthening the Brain-Body-Nature Connection - Hands-on outdoor activities support engagement, learning, routine, and emotional regulation while fostering a connection to the natural world.
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Sustainably Providing Fresh Produce for TERI Homes - Seasonal produce harvested from TERI Farms helps supplement healthy meals served in TERI residential homes, increasing access to fresh, locally grown food and decreasing our environmental impact.
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Creating Opportunities for Community Inclusion – TERI program participants who go out into the community assist with microgreens deliveries to local restaurants and to residential homes, providing meaningful opportunities to engage with the broader community.
Frequently Asked Questions
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