Farm From a Box
by Startacus Admin
Farm From a Box - The San Francisco social enterprise that has created a complete off-grid toolkit for a sustainable 2-acre farm - in a big box.
We have written previously about the difficulties of farming and some solutions that are being offered by startups, most recently with Small Robot Company. Farmingis, suffice to say, hard work in the best of cases. Good location, weather, soil, etc., still leaves a lot of hard work for the farmer, so imagine how much harder it can get when all you have to work with is arid ground and no rain, for example. But, as usual, the startup world is here to save the day!
Farm From a Box is a San Francisco based for-profit social enterprise aimed at bringing farming capability to struggling communities. In a box. A big box.
The idea was born when the co-founders were working with the United Nation Habitat Program to construct a youth empowerment centre in Kisumu, Kenya. They found the community needed better access to good food and realised that they could come up with the tools they required to grow their own food and earn an income at the same time.
The Farm From a Box units are built from modified shipping containers. Each contains an ecosystem of smart farming technologies to enhance agricultural activity.
Crucially, the unit is self-sufficient, powered by solar panels lining the roof and tapping in to a municipal water system or groundwell, complete with water purification units. A separate seedling house is integrated with micro-drip irrigation, sensors, and ICT and data mapping all aimed at reducing the amount of work the farmer has to put in, freeing them to do more with their farm. The deliverable unit contains all of the core components needed for a 2-acre farm, including basic tools.
At the Seeds&Chips Global Food Innovation Summit this month, Farm From a Box was the winner of the Best Innovation in Farming award. And rightfully so. This is the kind of innovation that can bring huge, vital change to struggling communities across the world.
We’re sure that their success will continue to grow!
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Published on: 27th May 2018
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