PROJECT FEED THE HOOD ISN'T JUST ABOUT ONE GARDEN, ONE SCHOOL OR EVEN ONE COMMUNITY.

IT CONNECTS FARMERS TODAY TO PAST GENERATIONS.

LORENZO CANDELARIA IS A FARMER IN THE SOUTH VALLEY AND A MENTOR FOR THE PROJECT.

I TELL ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT COME JOIN ME TO DO THIS, PLANT MANY PLANTS HERE ON THIS FARM.

BUT WE HARVEST ONLY ONE THING, AND THAT ONE THING IS CONSCIENCE.

THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND OUR CONNECTION TO THIS MOTHER THAT WE CALL EARTH.

I WOULDN'T BE DOING IT IF I DIDN'T HAVE KIDS HERE.

FARMING DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN ON A 300 YEAR OLD FARM ALONG AN ACEQUIA, IT CAN THRIVE IN EMPTY LOTS LIKE AT VAN BUREN MIDDLE SCHOOL OFF LOUISIANA BOULEVARD.

MCKENZIE IS A CO-FOUNDER OF FEED THE HOOD AND A TEACHER AT VANBUREN.

SCHOOLS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GROW SO MUCH FOOD FOR OUR STUDENTS AND FOR OUR FAMILIES AND ULTIMATELY FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, WE JUST HAVE TO START THINKING ABOUT OUR LANDSCAPES LIKE EDIBLE LANDSCAPES.

HOW CAN WE CREATE A LANDSCAPE INTO SOMETHING EDIBLE.

ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, MCKENZIE AND RODRIGUEZ STARTED THE PROGRAM.

ITS ROOTS WERE AN EFFORT TO CONVERT LAWNS INTO GARDENS AND ALSO TO REACH YOUNG PEOPLE.

MCKENZIE SAYS HIS PHILOSOPHY IS CENTERED ON TOGETHERNESS.

PEOPLE SEW AND HARVEST TOGETHER AND EAT TOGETHER AND AS INTERNS STUDENTS DO REAL WORK AND GET PAID FOR THEIR TIME.

IT CHANGED A LOT BECAUSE USUALLY I WAS JUST LAYING INSIDE WATCHING YOUTUBE ON MY PHONE, SO, I WASN'T REALLY DOING NOTHING AND THEN MY FRIEND, HE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS, SO IT WAS A REALLY GOOD CHANGE.

CLEANING UP AISLES AND LIKE HARVESTING THE STUFF IS NOT THAT HARD BUT LIKE DIGGING HOLES OR LIKE THE COMPOST IS KIND OF HARD.

TEACHING THE KIDS ABOUT COMPOST, REALLY IT IS CARBON, NITROGEN, OXYGEN AND WATER AND THOSE FOUR ELEMENTS CREATE EARTH AND WE TRY TO STACK IT LIKE ENCHILADAS STYLE.

LAST YEAR WE GOT FIVE WHEELBARROWS FULL OF COMPOSE TO PUT BACK IN OUR GARDEN.

NOT FAR FROM THE AIRPORT, THE PROJECT CREATED A GARDEN FROM AN EMPTY LOT.

STEPHANIE OLIVAS IS WRAPPING UP HER TIME AS A SERVICE MEMBER.

THIS IS RAY GARDUNO COMMUNITY GARDEN.

IT IS OUR NINTH GROWING SEASON.

PREVIOUSLY, IT WAS AN EMERGENCY LANDING STRIP.

ALL THIS LAND YOU SEE IS FOR THE AVIATION DEPARTMENT LAND SO WE WORKED WITH THEM AND MANY OF OUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES TO USE THIS PARTICULAR PLOT FOR GROWING FOOD.

WHEN PROJECT FEED THE HOOD FIRST STARTED WORKING THIS LAND THEY HAD TO HAUL OUT TRASH, NEEDLES, CONCRETE.

IT IS NOT A NEIGHBORHOOD KNOWN OVER THE DECADES FOR ITS GARDENS OR PUBLIC SPACES DESPITE THE CITY GOLF COURSE ACROSS THE STREET.

IT STANDS WITHIN APARTMENT, MOST OF WHICH ARE LOW INCOME HOUSING.

FOOD ACCESS IS DEFINITELY AN ISSUE HERE.

WE ARE -- THE TECHNICAL TERM IS A FOOD DESERT.

WE DON'T LIKE TO USE THAT TERM BECAUSE DESERTS ARE THRIVING ECOSYSTEMS AND THRIVING COMMUNITIES.

WHAT HAS BEEN CREATED THIS LACK OF FOOD ACCESS IS WE SEE AS AN INTENTIONAL SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN CREATED AND SO THE NEED FOR FRESH NUTRITIOUS FOODS IS HERE, ESPECIALLY ORGANIC, AFFORDABLE, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY GARDEN IS FREE.

WITH THAT LACK OF ACCESS TO FRESH FOODS, WE SEE AN INCREASE IN OTHER DIETARY RELATED DISEASES.

FEED THE HOOD VOLUNTEERS AND INTERNS TRANSFORM THE SPACE FROM COMPACTED DIRT TO RAISED BEDS AND PLANTED ROWS.

THEY ADDED A SHADE STRUCTURE AND THEY PLAN TO EVENTUALLY ADD AN AGRO-ECOLOGY CENTER.

GROWING LOCAL LEADERS, LIKE VELASQUEZ, AS THEY GROW FOOD.

WE CAME OUT TO PROJECT FEED THE HOOD AND WE STARTED WEEDING AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT GARDENING WAS ABOUT AND HOW TO DISTINGUISH THE LEAVES FROM THE WEEDS.

BUT SHE HAS LEARNED AND NOW SEES HER WORK AS PART OF A BROADER EFFORT TO IMPROVE HER COMMUNITY.

YOU CAN SEE HERE A BUNCH OF LADY BUGS.

I FIRST HAVE A CONNECTION WITH THE PLANT AND GETTING MY FINGERS IN THE DIRT.

I FEEL CONNECTED, I SAY, PLANT I AM YOU, AND YOU ARE ME, I AM HELPING YOU GROW TALLER, HELPING YOU BE FRUITFUL.

AND, IN TURN, IT IS JUST A REFLECTION FOR THE WAY THAT I WANT TO GROW AND IT IS MY COMMUNITY IS THERE PICKING UP THE WEEDS AND CLEARING A PATH FOR ME SO THAT I CAN FLOURISH.

I AM GOING TO WANT TO DO THAT HERE IN THE GARDEN TOO AND HELP THEM IN LITTLE WAYS THAT I CAN.

SHE SAYS GARDENING IS ALSO HEALING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DEALING WITH VIOLENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

THE FEED THE HOOD INTERNSHIP WAS NAMED AFTER A FEED THE HOOD INTERN KILLED IN ALBUQUERQUE IN 2017.

JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE PART OF A FARMING INTERNSHIP DOESN'T MEAN IT IS GOING TO REMOVE THE VIOLENCE FROM YOUR COMMUNITY BUT WE CAN START WORKING TOGETHER TO DO IT.

WE ARE PLANTING SEEDS.

WE ARE PLANTING THE GARDEN BUT ULTIMATELY WE ARE PLANTING OURSELVES.

WE ARE PLANTING AND GROWING ALONG WITH THE CROPS.

EVERY SEASON WE LEARN SOMETHING.

EVERY SEASON, EVERY YEAR YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO SOMETHING, MAYBE YOU WON'T GET TO IT.

MAYBE YOU WILL.

BUT THAT IS PART OF IT AND TEACHES YOU, MAN YOU CAN PUT IN A LOT OF HARD WORK AND SOMETIMES BAD THINGS HAPPEN, SOMETIMES SOMEBODY VANDALIZES YOU, BUT IT IS A TEACHABLE MOMENT THAT WE CAN JUST KEEP PLANTING.

WE ROLL WITH IT.

WE ALL SAY, YEAH, BUMMER, SAD, LET'S GRIEVE, BUT THEN LET'S GO AND KEEP PLANTING, DO THE NEXT THING, AND KEEP GOING.

THAT RESILIENCE THAT RESISTANCE THAT ARE PART OF OUR PEOPLES' CULTURES FOREVER, YOU KNOW, THAT WE ARE HERE TO RESIST, HERE TO RECLAIM OUR FOOD SYSTEMS, TO RECLAIM OUR SPACES, OUR COMMUNITY SPACES, AND REALLY HELP THE NEXT GENERATION THINK ABOUT THAT AND KIND OF MOVE US INTO THE FUTURE.

FOR OUR LAND AND NEW MEXICO INFOCUS, I AM LAURA PASKUS.