Solar-Powered “Farm From a Box” Is a Farm Kit That Can Feed 150 People

solar power sustainable food farm monitor app

San Francisco startup Farm From a Box has made it their mission to make farming as easy as possible. Their shipping container kit contains all the essentials for starting a two-acre farm (land not included!), which has the possibility to feed 150 people. Founders Brandi DeCarli and Scott Thompson were working at a youth center in Kenya, when they noticed that a lack of infrastructure was a big hurdle to gaining access to food. Thus, the idea for Farm From a Box was born.

“There’s a bit of a missing infrastructure that occurs in a lot of underdeveloped areas, and even here within the U.S,” DeCarli told Smithsonian Magazine. “So we thought, let’s provide communities with the tools they need to be able to grow and sustain their own crop so that the resilience is actually built up from the ground itself.”

The $50,000 kit is aimed at nonprofit humanitarian agencies, schools, community groups, and even individuals. It contains a full watering system, including a solar-powered pump and drip irrigation. In fact, all of the kit's components are solar powered and wireless, allowing you to monitor the farm's status from a smartphone. With 3 kW of solar energy capacity, the farm runs completely off the grid.

Aside from the solar technology, Farm From a Box provides support in the science of farming. The kit includes three stages of training in sustainable farming, farm technology, maintenance, and business. And, special add-ons can customize the kit to your specific needs. Looking for a water purification system or cold storage for produce? All this can be plugged in to tailor the farm to the local climate. Thus far, the system has been deployed at Shone Farm in Sonoma Valley, California. The firm has plans on the horizon for additional farms everywhere from Virginia to Ethiopia, making a global impact.

solar power sustainable food farm monitor app

solar power sustainable food farm monitor app

Farm from a Box: Website | Facebook
h/t: [Inhabitat]

All images via Farm from a Box.

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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