Inter-Urban Farms seeks to combat food deserts

Inter-Urban Farms seeks to combat food deserts

Inter-Urban Farms  is crowdfunding to raise $85,000 to bring the Leafy Green Machine from Freight Farms to Columbus. The goal is to help combat food deserts. A food desert is an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.  Many poor people live in food deserts—where they have plenty of food but none of it healthy.

This self-contained vertical farm will grow fresh produce year-round to be sold to local businesses and individuals. The company , owned by Quentin Graves and Jen Tuin, has a vision is to not only to promote sustainable urban agriculture, but also train local employees in personal and professional development.

“I grew up with fresh greens tomatoes and peppers. I didn’t know anything else. So as an adolescent, I thought maybe I’ll own a farm then it went to a miniature farm. Miniature cows horses and the like,”  said Graves. “I realize I was a city boy at heart and that wasn’t happening. Awhile back I stumble on to vertical farming, something I could do while still in the city. I research it and seen the benefit it could have on the world and in our communities.”

At its foundation, vertical farming is the practice of producing agriculture in vertically stacked layers.  All of this starts with the Leafy Green Machine (LGM): a two-acre farm fit into 320ft². This self-contained vertical farm, is  a recycled insulated shipping container that has been repurposed as a vertical farming unit.

Vertical farming  is highly efficient and offers many solutions to the needs of urban agriculture.

More information on the crowdfund can be found at http://bit.ly/2bCDL1U