Model and Strategy
The knowledge, technology, and tools are available today to make equitable access to food a reality. With depleted natural resources and lack of access to nutritional food, it is time to shift the focus from mass production to food production by the masses. Farm from a Box has developed an innovative off-grid toolkit for sustainable, tech-powered agriculture. It is the easiest and most efficient way to start and maintain a 2-acre planted farm. Built from a modified shipping container, each unit contains a complete ecosystem of climate smart technologies to enhance agricultural productivity; from renewable power and micro-drip irrigation, to sensors and IoT.
As Farm from a Box’s R&D arm, TackleBox Lab will launch two incubator farms that will serve as real-world test sites for how the system performs when integrated into the community. These pilots will provide a powerful showcase for how technology and regenerative agriculture can empower communities to localize their own food supply. If we can prove the impact of Farm from a Box, we can confirm that this approach is a scalable, cost effective solution that can revolutionize local food production.
Impact
Lasting impact is more than simply increasing agricultural yields and providing hand tools, it requires bringing in the technology and information access that catalyze improved livelihood, economic transformation, and longterm
production efficiency.
By increasing local food access, this approach can effectively lessen the amount of miles that food travels, decreasing waste along the supply chain. Participation in community farming, with increased local access to healthy food, has been shown to significantly increase fruit and vegetable intake; which will create a lasting
nutritional impact on the communities’ health, and ultimately lower the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. Local food production and distribution can spark a culture of entrepreneurship within a community. In California, the average age of a farmer is 57 years old, with only 7% under the age of 35. By integrating Farm from a Box’s project based learning into schools and underserved communities, it can also reignite education around food production, and encourage a new generation of farmers.
The longterm impacts this project can stimulate are significant, from environmental and economic to long term educational and health gains.
Leadership
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Brandi DeCarli
Founding Partner