The world's largest indoor vertical farm is addressing food inequity
NEWARK, New Jersey -- Aerofarms, a sustainable indoor agriculture company, is on a mission to transform eating habits and provide communities with safe and nutritious food.
The innovative company, headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, is transforming agriculture with the world's largest indoor vertical farm.
"Instead of sun we use LED lights, instead of soil we use a cloth medium, which is 100% reusable and made from recyclable materials. We are able to grow plants using as much as 95% less water and grow a plant on average in 14 days, "said David Rosenberg, Co-founder and CEO of Aerofarms.
In partnership with the City of Jersey City, Aerofarms along with the World Economic Forum are looking to provide residents with locally-grown greens, provided free of charge.
This groundbreaking partnership, the first municipal vertical farming program in the nation, will strategically build 10 vertical farms throughout senior centers, schools, public housing, and municipal buildings across Jersey City.
Annually, these municipal vertical farms are expected to produce approximately 19,000 pounds of vegetables.
"We've always seen an issue of food security in our community and with COVID it's just exacerbated that. We've been doing a lot of work to link together sustainability across our city and health; building healthy communities from the inside, "said Stacey Flanagan, Director of Health and Human Service for Jersey City.
In addition to the vertical farms, the initiative will include healthy eating workshops and quarterly health screenings, which will analyze blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity.
"Giving people access to farms, we believe it can change people's eating habits. We've seen it happen already in Newark and now we're bringing it to Jersey City," Rosenberg said.
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