Changing Abandoned Buildings to Fresh Food Farms

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Would the millions of children suffering from hunger and food insecurity in the United States be healthier, and have homes full of fresh produce if we started re-designing old abandoned buildings to new-tech farms?

AeroFarms, co-founded by Marc Oshima and David Rosenberg, vertical farm entrepreneurs, hope to build a way to bring more farm fresh produce to urban citizens, no matter what the weather.

Planning to produce over 2 million pounds of fresh vegetables per year in an old New Jersey steel mill, they also see their business as a way to help the areas of Newark that are underprivileged.

Rosenberg explained to the Chicago Tribune, that there are many areas of Newark (33.8% Latino) that do not have economic development or access to supermarkets, that’s why they chose to put their vertical farm there.

Often Latino’s live in places with little healthy food access, studies show.

Providing new ways of bringing healthy food access in close proximity to families, may help decrease heart disease risk, according to recent studies.

The farm will produce food for local community members to buy and will also plan on selling produce to grocers starting next month.