The mission of Project EDEN™ is to provide jobs and job training, entrepreneurial opportunities, nutrition education and food sovereignty through ecologically-conscious urban agriculture.

Founded in 2012, Project EDEN™ is an innovative youth-focused urban garden initiative that brings fresh fruits and vegetables, workforce development, and transitional employment opportunities to underserved youth and adults in Southeast Washington, DC.

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Early development and construction of EDEN’s greenhouse

With input and support from the community, Pastor Cheryl Gaines, Senior Pastor of ReGeneration House of Praise, envisioned a youth-led urban garden in Southeast DC that would become a life-changing empowerment initiative.

Beginning in 2012 on a 10 x 20 plot of donated land, Project EDEN™ has expanded to a 28 x 48 hoop house with aquaponics  in 2013. Aquaponics is a system for farming fish and plants together in a mutually beneficial cycle.

Project EDEN™ is helping to prevent and reverse adverse medical conditions, provide jobs, and improve lives by providing healthy fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and professional development opportunities.