Youth-Led Climate Action Through Community Sapling Exchange and Garden Building

Location: Chakkittappara, Kozhikode, Kerala
Program: School for Social Transformation – Edition 7

🌍 Background

Chakkittappara, a serene hill-fringe panchayat on the eastern edge of Kozhikode district, lies close to the lush forests of Wayanad and the Western Ghats. Known for its greenery, farmlands, and proximity to reservoirs such as Peruvannamuzhi, the region is both ecologically rich and environmentally fragile.

Amidst this natural beauty and vulnerability, The Ignite Foundation’s School for Social Transformation (SST) brought together youth from across Kerala for its 7th edition — with environment and climate change placed at the very heart of dialogue and action.

This cohort chose to focus their community engagement project on strengthening local biodiversity and promoting sustainable environmental practices through a community sapling exchange and collective garden-building initiative.

🌱 The Problem

Over time, the traditional practice of sourcing saplings locally has declined, with households turning to commercial nurseries. This shift has not only weakened community participation in greening efforts but also reduced the cultivation of native species.

In the absence of shared community spaces for growing and exchanging plants, the diversity of local gardens has become scattered and underappreciated. The SST team sought to address this gap — by creating a living, community-grown garden that would reconnect people, plants, and purpose.

💪 The Initiative

Led by 13 SST participants, supported by 7 volunteers and facilitators, the team co-designed a community engagement campaign that centered on collective action and shared ownership.

Key Steps:

• 🌿 Community Dialogue: The team visited local households in Chakkittappara, initiating conversations on local biodiversity and climate resilience.
• 🌼 Sapling Exchange: Residents contributed saplings and plants from their own backyards — promoting exchange instead of purchase.
• 🌳 Garden Creation: More than 200 plants representing 35+ species were collected, sorted, and planted at the Changemakers Ashram, an initiative of The Ignite Foundation in Kozhikode.
• 💬 Follow-up Engagement: The participants maintained contact with contributors, encouraging continued collaboration and care for the garden.

The process itself became a journey of relationship-building, where every sapling symbolized trust, contribution, and community resilience.

🌺 Outcomes

The initiative led to the creation of a community-sourced garden that now stands as a living testament to local biodiversity and youth-led climate action.

• 🌾 Biodiversity Restored: 200+ plants from 35+ species were cultivated in one shared space.
• 🤝 Community Ownership: Residents took pride in seeing their contributions thrive collectively.
• 🌍 Youth Empowerment: The project strengthened the participants’ capacity for local engagement, environmental stewardship, and participatory leadership.

🔭 What’s Next

The success of this community garden has sparked new ideas for scaling impact.

• Carbon-Neutral Village Model: SST participant Jazim is now leading a study and pilot model for a Carbon-Neutral Village in Chakkittappara, drawing insights from this project.
• Replication: The team plans to expand this sapling exchange and garden model to other localities, inspiring collective planting and sustainability dialogues across Kerala.

🌿 Reflections

This project stands as a beautiful example of how young changemakers can lead meaningful climate action at the grassroots — not through large-scale interventions, but through everyday acts of care, connection, and collaboration.

At the Changemakers Ashram, what began as a garden-building activity has grown into a living classroom — nurturing ideas, biodiversity, and a shared sense of responsibility for our planet.

💚 At The Ignite Foundation, we continue to believe that the roots of change lie in the soil of community. Together, we’re growing hope — one sapling at a time.