Farm from a Box Blog

5 Unexpected Ways Farm from a Box Reduces Farming's Carbon Footprint

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 02:12:54 GMT

On-farm fossil fuel use isn’t the only factor contributing to carbon dioxide emissions within our food system. Livestock, deforestation, soil disturbance, erosion, food waste, and food transportation also release CO2.

These issues are interconnected, and by beginning to tackle one, we will also make big progress on the others. At Farm from a box, we believe in a whole-systems approach, which is why we've designed our infrastructure as a flexible, dynamic, all-in-one technology that can integrate into any farm and crop plan. No matter your current challenges or future goals, we can help you lower your farm's carbon footprint.

By enhancing regenerative practices, preventing post-harvest losses, supporting crop diversification, and localizing food chains, Farm from a Box reduces both Scope 1 and Scope 3 carbon emissions across the food chain.

Here are five unexpected ways Farm from a Box helps reduce farming's carbon footprint:

1. Food Waste

Roughly a third of the world's food is wasted, totaling 1.3 billion tons per year and releasing 3.3 gigatons of CO2.

When food is wasted on farms, its carbon footprint largely comes from all the resources that went into producing it: the production and application of fertilizers and pesticides, the fuel to run farm equipment used to grow and harvest it, and the fuel or electricity used to store harvests.

Often, on-farm food waste is due to a lack of accessible cold storage. With Farm from a Box's in-field cold storage, farmers see 60-80% fewer post-harvest losses - ensuring all the resources that went into production aren't wasted. Plus, running entirely on solar power, no additional fossil fuels are used to properly store the produce.

2. Food Transportation

Within our globalized food system, food is transported all around the world via plane, ship, truck, and train. The average pound of tomatoes sold in the U.S. supermarket travel 1,569 food miles and emits about 21 kg CO2. Worldwide, food transport accounts for about 3 gigatons of emissions annually, or about 19% of food-related emissions.

Farm from a Box provides smallholder farmers with the infrastructural support to increase their production reliably and sustainably. By strengthening local and regional food systems, we can shorten the distance between producers and consumers and reduce emissions from transportation.

3. Soil Disturbance & Erosion

CO2 is emitted by farm equipment moving across the fields during tilling, planting, the application of pesticides and fertilizers, and harvest.

Working alongside regenerative methods that naturally rebuild soil health, Farm from a Box reduces the need for tilling and heavy applications of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Farm from a Box also uses drip irrigation, which slowly and gently releases water into the soil instead of flooding the entire field. Drip protects soils' structure and reduces the rate of erosion, which can also release CO2 into the atmosphere.

4. Deforestation

Worldwide, we've lost more than a third of our arable land over the past 40 years. As the world's production demands have increased, the rate of deforestation for agricultural land has also grown.

Trees and forests store carbon. When they're cleared, this stored carbon has the potential to be released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and contribute to climate change.

Instead of clearing more land to keep up with production demands, Farm from a Box enhances regenerative farming practices to help regenerate the land we've degraded. Via practices like cover cropping, carbon sequestration, and agroforestry, we can regenerate soil health and prevent further deforestation.

5. Livestock

Livestock emit 7.1 gigatons of CO2-equivalent per year, making up14.5% of all anthropogenic Greenhouse gas emissions.

With Farm from a Box's support, farmers can efficiently and reliably grow a wide variety of plant-based proteins and provide communities with meat alternatives. Shifting away from our heavy consumption of animal products and incorporating more plant-based alternatives has a high impact on reducing carbon footprints and mitigating climate change.

Plus, many of these plant-based proteins are nitrogen-fixing crops, allowing them to be cultivated in nitrogen-poor soils or supplement nitrogen to other crops, thereby reducing the need for heavy synthetic fertilizer applications.

What Does Togetherness Look Like?

Sat, 12 Nov 2022 16:58:13 GMT

Global leaders are currently gathering at COP27 under the theme of ‘Together for Implementation.’ And when it comes to something as complex as our global food system, it will absolutely take a collective, unified effort to make the shifts that need to happen for a more equitable, resilient future – a future where every local community has reliable access to nutritious food that has been produced in a way that helps build environmental health alongside economic prosperity.

But what does ‘togetherness’ look like outside of the conference? How can we ensure we don’t lose sight of it in the fight against climate change? And how can technology help us achieve our climate and community building goals?

Technology has enabled farmers to improve their yields and has made their jobs much less labor-intensive. While that enabled monumental production levels, we now know the industrialized method of farming has rapidly depleted our natural resources and accelerated climate change. We also now see that focusing solely on efficiency has increased the amount of food that goes to waste and has also cut off many local communities and regions from healthy food access in the effort to streamline the “most efficient,” economically beneficial supply chains. The fragility and inequity of these “streamlined” supply chains were made painfully clear during COVID-19.

A resilient food system should focus less on efficiency and more on ensuring sustained, reliable access for the health, wellbeing, and livelihoods of the communities it is produced in.

It's time to work towards food systems that are equally efficient, sustainable, and equitable.

Farm from a Box provides the technology needed to strengthen local and regional food systems. Providing key infrastructure in renewable energy, water, cold chain, and connectivity, our system works to lower on-farm emissions, stabilize crops through drought conditions, limit in-field crop loss, and reunite production and consumption at the community level.

Our commitment to sustainability goes beyond working towards the lowest environmental impact. We believe equity is a critical aspect of sustainability, too. With off-grid solar power and lower operating costs, Farm from a Box makes our infrastructure – and farming as a whole – more accessible and affordable for farmers and communities to adopt, maintain, and scale.

Keeping our core focus on communities ensures we don't lose sight of our 'togetherness' and creates opportunities for bottom-up and localized food system transformations. While we all enjoy a good avocado that has been shipped in from Mexico or a mango that has been grown in Peru, let’s work to strengthen our regional agricultural systems to supply our communities with locally grown food. Localizing our food chains increases the nutritional value of our food, helps economically strengthen our communities, and builds food independence in face of unpredictable supply chains and climatic events.

Building a food system that is resilient in the face of challenges must by nature be inclusive. Agriculture should not be a political issue – it is something we all rely on, across all borders, all races, all religions, and all ideologies. It's foundational to our collective wellbeing. Farming teaches what society is still struggling to learn: there is strength in diversity, what you give comes back generously, and we are all interconnected – what impacts one affects us all.

It’s not too late to course correct, take the achievements we have made in technology, and pair them with the wisdom and complexity of nature-based agricultural production so that we can address the inequities that have been exposed and build a future that is designed for us all to collectively thrive.

From COP27 to the US elections, polarization will only serve to divide and weaken us. Across language and culture, acting with togetherness is ultimately how we make great things happen.

Agriculture is a pathway to grow a more resilient, prosperous future for all of us – from the ground up – together.

4 Incredible Ways Solar-Powered Infrastructure Benefits Farmers

Mon, 16 May 2022 18:44:17 GMT

We think that community-owned, renewably-powered infrastructure is the best path forward across sectors. When it comes to farming, solar-powered infrastructure has been gaining traction in recent years, and for good reason: it's more affordable, more accessible, and more sustainable than heavy-polluting, fossil-fuel-powered alternatives.

Farm from a Box is proudly 100% solar-powered, leading our food system's transition to zero emission technology. The entire Farm from a Box system runs on solar power: the water pump and filter, drip irrigation, cold storage, WiFi, and IoT Sensor Suite. Our systems are also 100% farmer- and community-owned. The impact that our decentralized, grid-independent technology has on farms and communities is incredible. Our farms aren't vulnerable to volatile oil and gas prices, have gained independence from unreliable power grids, and are building self-sufficiency.

Here are four incredible ways our renewably-powered infrastructure can benefit your farm:

1. It eliminates your dependence on fossil fuels.

From seed to harvest, our food system has long been reliant on fossil fuels. Scientists around the world agree that rapidly phasing out fossil fuels is one of the best steps we can take towards mitigating the effects of climate change.

Just one 40-foot Farm from a Box system captures and stores an average of 43,070 kWh of solar energy each year. This the equivalent of: 30.5 metric tons of CO2 - or the same amount of carbon sequestered by over 36 acres of forests in a year.

2. It saves you money - a lot of money.

Global surges in oil and gas prices can heavily impact farmers and consequently spike food prices for consumers. With the cost of diesel predicted to increase by 144% between 2022 and 2027 , production costs will continue to increase for farmers.

Farm from a Box eliminates costly recurring gas and electric bills and can save you thousands on utility bills every single year.

3. It's more accessible to remote communities.

If you're in a rural area with outdated or nonexistent power grids, solar-powered infrastructure is more accessible than trying to find a way to connect to the electric grid. Solar energy is also more reliable than a centralized power grid that's susceptible to widespread outages due to storms or heat waves.

Farm from a Box includes a fully integrated, cobalt-free lithium-ion battery that reliably stores and delivers energy, even on days when there is no sunlight.

4. It builds self-reliance.

Together, less dependence on unpredictable global supply chains, enormous cost savings, and reliable access to power make it possible for you and your community to build self-sufficiency and food independence.

Our reliable and accessible solar power supports your day-to-day farm and administrative work, educational and vocational programming, and community engagement opportunities - meaning you can grow your local food system in whatever way works best for you.

Building Food Sovereignty on Pine Ridge Reservation

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 21:40:33 GMT

Jason Schoch is the Co-Founder of Rebel Earth Farms and of Čáŋ Wígmuŋke ("Chah-Weeg-Moon-Keh"). He is head of the South Dakota State University Tribal Local Food program, leads Pine Ridge's AgrAbility and Beginning Farmer and Rancher program, and is an expert in agroecological practices.

He has been working on Pine Ridge Reservation for nearly two decades with Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots youth program, SDSU Extension, Rebel Earth Farms, and Čáŋ Wígmuŋke. These organizations work in tandem to build food sovereignty, create farmer incubation hubs, restore Lakota foodways, and protect wildlife and biodiversity.

Rebel Earth is an experimental farm: a place where new ideas and technologies can be tested and adapted to fit the Lakota culture and the Northern Great Plains ecosystem. It also serves as a farmer incubation hub where tribal members have access to land, technology, and education without having to spend a lot of money or take out a loan. It's about creating equity, Jason said.

Q: What crops are you growing, and what's the importance of growing those crops?

A: In addition to crops like tomatoes and peppers, Rebel Earth is researching ways to cultivate wild plants that were traditionally used by the Lakota people.

While many Native American tribes had farming as part of their culture, the Lakota people did not. Historically, their community food system - as well as many of their medicines and their shelter - revolved around the buffalo. When the buffalo was taken away and replaced with a foreign system by the US Federal Government, it disrupted their entire culture and led to many of the health and income disparities people are still facing today.

Rebel Earth and Čáŋ Wígmuŋke are working to build a new community food system on Pine Ridge - to find a new buffalo, in a way.

But building a sustainable farming system for a people who aren't agrarian is a challenge, Jason said. Rebel Earth was designed to be the test for that system. Jason and his partner Patricia are researching ways to cultivate wild foods that were eaten and used by the Lakota people, such as timpsila (wild prairie turnip), ceyaka (wild prairie mint), and sweetgrass. They're testing different cultivation methods in hopes of creating a system that not only produces crops that resemble their wild counterparts, but one that can be replicated by small farms across Pine Ridge in a simple and affordable way.

Q: How is Rebel Earth adapting to changing climate and weather patterns?

A: Rebel Earth uses both climate-smart technology and regenerative farming practices, but we also integrate windbreaks and prairie patches into our farm to support pollinators, wildlife, and soil health.

The Northern Great Plains have always been very dry and windy, but as climate change worsens, winds are becoming stronger, and the storms that do roll through are much more intense. Rebel Earth's high tunnels and crops have been destroyed during these storms. To protect themselves, they've designed a windbreak that is culturally-adaptable and that prioritizes biodiversity and wildlife. Trees protect the farm from strong winds and direct wildlife to the outskirts of the property instead of through the farm. Prairie patches are planted inside the tree perimeter to improve soil health and support pollinators.

Jason and Patricia have a theory that also integrating prairie patches between their high tunnels will create a healthy soil microbiome that closely mimics that of the Northern Great Plains ecosystem, allowing their crops to grow in a more natural way and helping wild foods retain their nutrient-density and medicinal properties under cultivation.

"We love the resiliency of the Farm from a Box model," Jason said. The cold storage allows them to keep their crops fresh after harvest, and the drip irrigation is vital in their dry climate. Running the unit via solar power is key because long-term, many tribal members would not be able to afford the electric bill to run such a system.

Rebel Earth named their box "Gandalf." Their unit was installed during an especially dry year, and everything felt very battered and barren.

"Then this solution showed up, and it reminded me of a couple scenes in the [Lord of the Rings] movies... Gandalf is always coming to the rescue at that peak moment providing what's needed," Jason said. So the Rebel Earth team decided that the Farm from a Box unit is like Gandalf - bringing the power of the sun and water to save the situation.

Long term, Jason envisions multiple Farm from a Box units across the reservation working together to increase food access, support beginner tribal farmers, and enhance their regenerative farming practices.

It's Time To Be Smarter About Our Water Usage

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 23:43:24 GMT

Water.

Nearly every aspect of our lives depends on it. It's one of the foundations of existence here on Earth. It's also one of the core components of the Farm from a Box system. With water access, farmers are able to grow fresh produce to feed their communities. Selling this produce generates income, and farmers in turn gain economic freedom.

All of this together - access to healthy food and reliable income - paves the way to independence and communal wellbeing. What a beautiful ripple effect.

One of the first steps towards effective irrigation is understanding how water exists within soil. Simply put, the spectrum of soil moisture ranges from very wet to bone dry. There are three thresholds along this spectrum that are important when thinking about plant growth:

The "sweet spot" for crops is the range between field capacity and permanent wilting point and is referred to as plant-available water. To keep soil moisture within this range, growers typically irrigate their field until the soil reaches its field capacity.

But what you could avoid watering your entire farm to field capacity, thus using less water, protecting your local ecosystem, and saving you money? What if you could improve crop health and increase yields at the same time? Drip irrigation makes this a reality!

It's the most environmentally and economically efficient irrigation system. It irrigates only the root zone instead of the entire field surface, optimizing the soil water content. By directing water and nutrients directly to plants' root zones, in the right amounts, at the right time, each plant gets exactly what it needs, when it needs it.

Maximize your yields

Increase your yields by up to 50%
Efficiently apply fertilizers and soil amendments
Reduce weed growth and prevent disease by minimizing water contact with leaves, stems, and flowers

Boost your profits

Raise your crops' market value by growing healthy, nutrient-dense, disease-free produce
Irrigate uniformly in any soil type and extend your growing season
Save money on water utility bills, fertilizers, and labor costs

Protect the environment

Use up to 60% less water than sprinkler or flood irrigation
Lessen your need for synthetic fertilizers and reduce soil salinity from excessive fertilizer application
Prevent soil erosion and fertilizer and pesticide runoff

As we navigate new climate-fueled weather patterns, the way we use water is increasingly important. Water-efficient technology that helps us increase our yields while conserving resources can build our resilience to extreme weather and lessen agriculture's water footprint, an important step in mitigating climate change.

Meet Ram Khatiwoda: Refugee, Farmer, & Educator

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 21:49:11 GMT

We are surrounded by incredible people who are putting in the work, uplifting their communities, and making real change. It’s time we shared their stories! Welcome to Farm from a Box’s Farmer Feature, our series highlighting heroes that we are proud to know, work with, and learn from.

Meet Meet Ram Khatiwoda:

Refugee, Farmer, & Educator

Born in Bhutan, Ram Khatiwoda and his family fled the country when he was just 10 years old. After spending years living in refugee camps and working on farms in Nepal, Ram relocated to Sacramento, California with the help of the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

In Sacramento, Ram noticed that many people were unhealthy. Diet, he learned, was a root cause of poor communal health and was often caused by a lack of access to nutritious food. Ram decided he wanted to work to provide his community with fresh produce and joined the IRC's New Roots Farm team.

Founded in 2016, New Roots Farm sits on a 5.5 acre plot in Western Sacramento. This urban farm helps refugees reconnect with the land, grow food for themselves and their families, and find community in their new home. Offering community garden plots, nutrition education, and a job training program for new farmers, they work to provide the refugee community with the tools and training needed to grow healthy and affordable food, make a living, and become self-sufficient.

Q: What sort of crops do you grow?

A: Our trainee farmers grow 40-50 different crops, and a lot of it is produce from their home countries.

Culturally-affirming produce is often difficult to find at local stores or markets but is incredibly important to help refugees build community, nurture their connections to their homeland, and celebrate their culture, Ram said. It helps people feel at home.

Produce grown at New Roots includes: tomatillos, long beans, black-eyed peas, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, bell peppers, and chili peppers.

The trainee farmers sell their produce at a reduced rate to the nearby Yolo Food Bank, where it is distributed widely within the community. Growing on just half an acre, they supplied 28,600 pounds of produce to the food bank in 2021 alone.

The neighborhood surrounding the farm is home to a predominantly low income and refugee population, with many relying on resources like the Yolo Food Bank and SNAP benefits. Increasing access to fresh, organic fruits and vegetables is key to addressing diet-related illnesses and improving communal health, Ram said.

"2021 was a critical time. Food need was really high, and people were looking for local, healthy food options," Ram explained. "It's been great to work with the Yolo Food Bank."

An additional 70,000 pounds of food was grown on the other five acres New Roots cultivates. It was distributed to the farmers and their families as well as sold at a weekly farm stand, local grocery stores, and two neighborhood pop up stands in Arden-Arcade, a census-designated place in Sacramento County with high rates of food insecurity.

Q: What's the farmer job training program like?

A: We teach refugee farmers how to grow crops at a commercial level in the US climate. We also focus on skill and dream building.

Through hands-on lessons, New Roots' job training program empowers trainees to start their own farms. They currently have eight farmers in training, and two others have already graduated and started their own agribusinesses.

"Actual farming knowledge and education is a challenge for people entering the American farming system," Ram explained. The tools, materials, and resources needed to start a farm in the US are not readily available for immigrants.

Learning to farm in a new climate has innumerable challenges. The weather, soil, pests, and diseases are often very different from the refugees' homelands.

"I thought I was born a farmer, but when I came here and started doing it, everything was completely different. Now I am the one who is trying to help people and provide assistance - I'm teaching them what drip irrigation is, why it's economical."

Another hurdle is understanding what produce the community wants - a unique challenge for New Roots since they serve immigrants from around the world. For Ram, it took years of diversifying his crops and talking with the community to learn what people from different countries and cultures liked to eat.

Cross-cultural knowledge sharing between farmers who have different agricultural backgrounds has been an exciting thing to observe, Ram said.

"We learn a lot from each other, myself included - discovering new crops, new foods, and how to grow and eat them. There's great benefit to having a diversity of farmers from around the world working side by side on one piece of land. Not only food, but culturally - meeting people from different cultures makes us better farmers and better people."

To support Ram's work, if you're in the Sacramento, CA area, you can contact the IRC Sacramento to sign up to volunteer at New Roots. They offer one-time, recurring, and corporate opportunities.

You can also donate to the IRC Sacramento to support New Roots' work. In-kind donations are incredibly helpful, too! Just be sure to ask what tools or materials are most needed.

Meet Marcus Roberson: Veteran, Farmer, & Entrepreneur

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 19:44:17 GMT

We are surrounded by incredible people who are putting in the work, uplifting their communities, and making real change. It’s time we shared their stories! Welcome to the first edition of Farm from a Box’s Farmer Feature, a new series highlighting heroes that we are proud to know, work with, and learn from.

Meet Marcus Roberson:
Veteran, Farmer, & Entrepreneur

Born and raised in the Bronx, Marcus Roberson never imagined he'd become a farmer. Now, the Army Veteran runs WoodBox Farm - the very first first Incubator Farm at the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture - and has developed an app to create more market opportunities for Black farmers.

After completing his service in the Army, Marcus found re-entry to civilian life challenging. He needed to recalibrate his thinking, senses, and reactions.

"Transitioning back to civilian life can be difficult because we have a lot of expectations that veterans will be valued in society, but that's not always the case," he said, noting that he didn't receive the support he needed, even after reaching out for mentorship.

Marcus struggled to find a job that felt like the right fit for him. More than anything, he said, his time in the Army made him extremely hesitant to want to work for anyone else.

Eventually, Marcus came across Arcadia's Veteran Farmer Program , where he found the freedom and purpose he'd been searching for. He completed both their Veteran Farmer Reserve Program and their Veteran Farm Fellowship before being asked to launch Arcadia's Veteran Farm Incubator Program. In 2018, WoodBox Farm was born.

WoodBox Farm, a venture Marcus describes as being eye opening, amazing, and terrifying all at once, is an education-oriented farm that sits on a quarter-acre plot. Marcus and his team grow a variety of produce, including watermelon, cucumbers, pumpkins, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers. While the goal is to increase production and profit in the coming seasons, Marcus said his primary focus will always be to create a space that fosters collective learning and growth.

In addition to providing learning opportunities for other beginner farmers, youth, and community members, Marcus works with both the University of the District of Colombia and the University of Maryland to research soil health, rainwater collection, and various crops.

"Creating and celebrating life - being part of a process that is about sustaining lives - is a wholly different animal than when you're training for war."

There's a paradigm shift in your mindset and approach when you're not going into battle, Marcus said. You cannot go into a battle with nature and win - not without cheating anyway. This is the philosophy that guides Marcus' work and is the reason WoodBox Farm uses no pesticides or herbicides and practices a low-to-no-till system. Protecting soil health, microbial habitats, and even pests like groundhogs and beetles is a priority.

"Farming in a way that is non-destructive and non-combative is liberating because, bluntly, we're not trying to kill anything. Really embracing what we can do without trying to force our will upon nature has really helped me with healing," he said.

To better support Veterans who are interested in pursuing a career in agriculture, Marcus would like to see a more robust support system that guides Veterans through different networking and job opportunities as well as increased land access.

One of the most important things we can do, he said, is educate people that the skills they already have can be brought into the agricultural space. You can be a carpenter, electrician, plumber, accountant, or mechanic - there are so many occupations that support our food system.

"Even if you don't want to farm, you can still help create a better planet, grow better food, extend our lives, mitigate damage that's been done, and clean up spaces that are available to us," he said. "Just being able to share that would open up eyes, minds, and doors that are waiting to be opened."

Creating Market Opportunities:
Good Earth T herapy

Initially an idea to promote WoodBox Farm's produce, Marcus developed the Good Earth Therapy app. Similar to other online produce retailers (such as Instacart), Good Earth Therapy allows customers to find and purchase local produce.

He soon realized that Black farmers across the United States lacked access to market opportunities. With the framework for Good Earth Therapy already in place, Marcus decided to use the app to promote other farms alongside his own and help them connect with more customers.

This free app, which is one of the only existing resources that highlights Black-owned farms across the country, now lists over 3,000 farms and allows consumers to search by zip code, city, state, or even by farm name.

If you'd like to support Marcus' work, he says moral support and "sweat equity" are the most valuable ways to contribute.If you're in the Richmond, VA area, you can find Marcus' farm at the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture.

Marcus invites you to stop by, learn more about his work, bring a friend to volunteer, purchase some produce, or simply just cheer in support as you're driving past.

If you're not local, you can follow and share his work on Instagram !

Innovative Thinking and Technology: The Key to Solving Global Problems

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 21:06:34 GMT

This blog was written by our Founding Partner, Brandi DeCarli, and originally published on Cisco's blog .

Every aspect of our modern-day lives has been impacted by technology. From cloud and robotics to digital currency and drones, our lives are inextricably tied to the technology that surrounds us. While farming may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of technology, it has played a key role in changing the face of agriculture and our global food system.

In the past 50 years, the Green Revolution has pushed to increase crop yields through large-scale intensification of single crops. Advances in mechanized farming allowed for larger and larger acreage to be farmed. By focusing on the large-scale intensification of a single crop, the natural checks and balances that diverse ecosystems provide were no longer in place.

To maintain production, it required heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides, which has directly impacted soil fertility and ecosystems around the globe. Now, with 40% of our agricultural soil degraded and 70% of our freshwater resources being gulped up by agriculture, it is clear that our current approach is not sustainable.

While advances in technology have enabled global agricultural production to increase with our growing population, those gains came at an unprecedented environmental cost. As we work to feed a growing global population, the environmental pressures will continue to increase.

By 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow by more than two billion people. Half will be born in Sub-Saharan Africa, and another 30 percent in South and Southeast Asia. Those regions are also where the effects of climate change are expected to hit hardest.

So, how can make sure that the growing need for food worldwide is met in an ecologically sustainable way? And what role can technology play? The opportunity may be in shifting our focus from mass production to production by the masses.

An estimated 70% of the world’s food comes from small, rural farms that are no bigger, on average, than two acres. And despite the increase in large-scale industrialized farms, small, rural farms are still the backbone of our global food supply. But these rural areas are often the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

The challenges of drought, degraded soil, and inefficient and labor-intensive methods contribute to and exacerbate low and unreliable crop production. Without access to the infrastructure or technologies that can support a productive farm, farmers will either struggle with low yields, depend on chemical inputs that further deplete the soil, or rely on outside aid.

This is where Farm from a Box comes in.

Farm from a Box works to bridge the “access” gap by providing a complete, off-grid toolkit for sustainable, tech-powered agriculture . Built from a modified shipping container, each unit contains a complete ecosystem of smart farm technologies to enhance agricultural productivity; from renewable power and micro-drip irrigation to Information and Communications Technology equipment.

Designed as the “Swiss-Army knife” of farming, this mobile infrastructure provides all the tools needed to support a two-acre farm. By empowering farmers to grow and sustain food production at the community level, we build greater resilience to climate shocks, boost livelihoods, and help bridge the access gap by making healthy food locally available.

With its own off-grid power, Farm from a Box can act as its own micro-grid in remote locations; drip irrigation helps save water and stabilize crops through drought conditions while also extending the growing season; internal cold-storage helps keep crops fresher longer, reducing post-harvest loss by 80%; Wi-Fi connectivity improves information access and exchange; and a cloud-based IoT system helps monitor production and efficiencies.

By introducing micro-irrigation, we can extend the growing season and better support a wide variety of crops throughout the year, while lowering the amount the water used by applying it directly to the plant. The off-grid power array and storage provide a reliable energy source to power the pump, move the water through the irrigation lines, cool the internal cold storage area, and support the charging of auxiliary needs.

We have also connected each unit with Wi-Fi capabilities and a complete IoT system to improve operational efficiency, optimize water and energy use, and provide guidance on farm management and market information. Because we have integrated sensors on all of the primary systems, we can monitor and control the performance of the system, and also set alerts for when a component dips below or exceeds certain levels.

Let me give you an example of how this applies in a real-world situation. We recently teamed up with the United Nations World Food Programme Tanzania and WFP’s Innovation Accelerator to support food and nutrition security for refugee and host communities. Our Farm from a Box system will be used to increase the availability of nutritious crops, provide low-cost agricultural commodities and, through increased production, boost the income levels for both refugees and the surrounding host communities.

Because the farm is operating in a remote location in eastern Tanzania, information becomes a vital component to ensuring the system is working as it should be, and the farmers have the data they need to know what is happening and why. Through our cloud-based IoT system, both the community and the WFP has open access to see how much energy the solar panels are producing, how much water is being used, and if the overall system is functioning properly.

Now, technology for the sake of technology isn’t a standalone solution; how it is utilized in overall value creation is where we find the real impact. By marrying technology with small-scale regenerative farming practices, we can improve soil quality, reduce dependence on outside inputs, conserve water, and build up nutrients.

Techniques like composting, crop rotation and diversification, cover cropping, and no-till practices nurture the soil’s fertility and help produce a healthier crop. By shifting our focus from industrialized agriculture to local organic agriculture, we can potentially convert carbon from a greenhouse gas into a food-producing asset.

Farm from a Box is just one of many innovations that are working to empower smallholder farmers with sustainable solutions; there are vertical farm systems, small farm robots that automate field work, drones that use near-infrared and thermal sensors to “see” how plants are doing. Technological innovations like these can help us achieve better health, well-being, and equity throughout our planetary system as a whole.

But we need creative solutions, and sometimes that requires thinking outside of the box. I don’t come from a technological background, nor does my business partner, but we saw a problem and thought, “There must be a better way.” We all have the power to change our world for the better. Food is something that connects us all and has a direct impact on our everyday lives and environment.

When we first set out to start Farm from a Box, our intention was to create a mobile infrastructure that could provide people with the tools they need to grow their own nutritious food. Over time, that idea has grown; we now see Farm from a Box as a tool that could transform local production and nutritional security globally.

Whether it is a local school, community group, or remote village in an underdeveloped country, smallholder farmers are the ecological gatekeepers to building a more sustainable and equitable food supply. Technology has the potential to help solve the intractable problems facing humanity and will continue to play an increasingly vital role in global food security and planetary health. But it will require innovative thinking from all of us to achieve it.

Why We Created the Swiss Army Knife of Farming

Fri, 24 Mar 2017 21:22:40 GMT

This blog was written by our Founding Partner, Brandi DeCarli, and originally published the World Food Programme's blog .

We live in an age of rapid technological advancements. A day doesn’t go by without headlines about self-driving cars, new uses of digital currency, and lab-grown meat. Such innovations have the ability to not only transform our daily lives, but disrupt entire industries. They also have the ability to address some of the world’s toughest problems. With a changing climate, resource constraints and people still going hungry every day, we must work to crack open traditional silos and form creative collaborations that provide access to technology to those who need it most.

Several years ago, my business partner and I were building a Youth Empowerment Center in Kenya using modified shipping containers around a soccer field to provide basic resources for education, health, and sport. But accessing fresh, nutritious food was a problem. Then it occurred to us - what if we could use a shipping container to provide the tools to start a farm and grow food right there? An all-in-one kit ... a "farm-in-a-box."

We spoke with some of the brightest minds in the field of agriculture, biodiversity and sustainable energy, as well as farmers, government officials, and humanitarian agencies. Their answer? Provide the infrastructure to incentivize sustainable and stable crop growth and the training to do it better. So that's what we set out to build.

Fast forward to present day, Farm from a Box has developed into a complete, off-grid toolkit for localized food production. Built from a modified shipping container, it comes equipped with all of the core components needed to start and maintain a 2-acre farm. Designed as the “Swiss-Army knife” of farming, this mobile infrastructure can be configured in different ways to respond to the local growing conditions.

Testing the Ground in Tanzania

As a host country to refugees who have fled violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda, Tanzania plays a key role in the support of vulnerable populations. One of its three refugee camps, Nyarugusu, in Kigoma region, is the third largest in the world currently hosting over 250,000 refugees and asylum seekers. With both refugee and host communities impacted by poverty and food insecurity, there is an opportunity to bridge the divide and serve both collectively. This is where Farm from a Box comes in.

We have teamed up with WFP Tanzania and WFP’s Innovation Accelerator to support food and nutrition security for refugee and host communities. Using a modified version of the Farm from a Box system, this turnkey container unit will be used to increase the availability of nutritious crops, provide low cost agricultural commodities and, through increased production, boost the income levels for both refugees and the surrounding host communities.

With a high dependency on rain-fed agriculture, too often the growing season is limited. By introducing micro-irrigation we can extend the growing season and better support different kinds of crops throughout the year, while mitigating potentially dangerous “water walks”. The off-grid power array and storage will provide reliable energy source to power the pump, move the water through the irrigation lines, cool the internal cold storage area, and support the charging of auxiliary needs. Because we have integrated sensors on all of the primary systems, we can monitor the performance of the system, and also set alerts for when a component dips below or exceeds certain levels. For example, if there is a problem with the battery storage, or the pump, we will all have access to a web-based platform that will send out an alert.

Bridging the Access Gap

Farm from a Box isn’t just about food production. It gives people the ability to be agents of their own well-being. This tool works to bridge the “access” gap by providing appropriate technologies and training that can help build the resilience of communities, increase and stabilize their farm productivity while stimulating economic growth. AWi-Fi installation will also turn the project into a connectivity hub, enabling the surrounding community to connect online and have better access to information, including weather alerts for farmers, agri-tips and business management skills.

These independent solutions collectively lead to the most important potential outcomes, peaceful coexistence and unified prosperity. Too often we look at a specific challenge and work to address that individual problem while ignoring the unintended peripheral impacts. For refugees that have been forced to flee their homes, establishing a more peaceful home from which to rebuild their lives is key. For a surrounding community that is already struggling with poverty and hunger, tensions can mount if “outsiders” are viewed as receiving support that they themselves cannot get access to. By developing a solution that can economically benefit all through shared production, processing and trade, we can increase the social cohesion within the entire community.

The more we can localize the solution the more we can strengthen the community for the long run. That is why we have also set up local in-country manufacturing and assembly of the Farm from a Box units. Rather than shipping the container overseas, we want to contribute directly to local jobs and economic development. By sourcing as many components as possible from local providers, it will also help ease access to replacement parts and any ongoing maintenance.

We cannot push to increase economic prosperity, or intensify food production, or press for technological breakthroughs without taking into the consideration the impact on the collective whole. Nor can we turn a blind eye to our fellow humans that are in dire need of support. Working together and leveraging every possible solution we can to address our global problems is the only way we can truly eradicate hunger and poverty in our lifetimes.

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﻿ Q: What crops are you growing, and what's the importance of growing those crops? A: In addition to crops like tomatoes and peppers, Rebel Earth is researching ways to cultivate wild plants that were traditionally used by the Lakota people.

Q: How is Rebel Earth adapting to changing climate and weather patterns? A: Rebel Earth uses both climate-smart technology and regenerative farming practices, but we also integrate windbreaks and prairie patches into our farm to support pollinators, wildlife, and soil health.

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Meet Ram Khatiwoda: Refugee, Farmer, & Educator

Meet Meet Ram Khatiwoda:

Refugee, Farmer, & Educator

Q: What sort of crops do you grow? A: Our trainee farmers grow 40-50 different crops, and a lot of it is produce from their home countries.

Q: What's the farmer job training program like? A: We teach refugee farmers how to grow crops at a commercial level in the US climate. We also focus on skill and dream building.

Meet Marcus Roberson: Veteran, Farmer, & Entrepreneur

Meet Marcus Roberson: Veteran, Farmer, & Entrepreneur

"Creating and celebrating life - being part of a process that is about sustaining lives - is a wholly different animal than when you're training for war."

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Testing the Ground in Tanzania

Bridging the Access Gap

Q: What crops are you growing, and what's the importance of growing those crops?

A: In addition to crops like tomatoes and peppers, Rebel Earth is researching ways to cultivate wild plants that were traditionally used by the Lakota people.

Q: How is Rebel Earth adapting to changing climate and weather patterns?

A: Rebel Earth uses both climate-smart technology and regenerative farming practices, but we also integrate windbreaks and prairie patches into our farm to support pollinators, wildlife, and soil health.

Q: What sort of crops do you grow?

A: Our trainee farmers grow 40-50 different crops, and a lot of it is produce from their home countries.

Q: What's the farmer job training program like?

A: We teach refugee farmers how to grow crops at a commercial level in the US climate. We also focus on skill and dream building.

Meet Marcus Roberson:
Veteran, Farmer, & Entrepreneur

Creating Market Opportunities:
Good Earth T herapy