These aren’t just stories about farming technology. They’re about the wonder of watching food grow, the satisfaction of harvesting with your own hands, and the connections that blossom when we bring people closer to their food.

Eagle Ridge Resort: 45 Years of Excellence Meets Year-Round Freshness

Executive Chef Randy Hopman has perfected his craft over 45 years at Eagle Ridge Resort. For Randy and Director of Food & Beverage Steve Curtis, their Galleri Micro-Farm unlocked year-round access to peak-flavor ingredients.

“This is something we can do 365 days a year,” Chef Randy shared. “Even if you buy this product from vendors, it’s still not as fresh as picking it hours before you serve it. The flavor is twice as strong, so you don’t need as much.”

The culinary team harvests daily, transforming ultra-fresh produce into vibrant garnishes, craft cocktail ingredients, aromatic pestos, and infused oils. The farm’s placement at the restaurant entrance sparks curiosity with every guest.

“At least 4 out of 5 people who walk through ask, ‘What is that?'” Steve Curtis noted. “It’s great to tell them about the sustainable nature, year-round production, and how it’s incorporated into the food they’re about to enjoy.”

Steve’s biggest surprise? How user-friendly the system proved. “You get on your phone, and the app tells you everything you need to do. It sends reminders—it does everything.” The technology handles complexity while teams bring curiosity.

Freshly harvested lettuce from a Galleri Micro-Farm

Palmetto Park Senior Living: Where Fresh Food Sparks Joy and Connection

Three years ago, Pretoria Cheeley and Jarvis Wright took over operations at Palmetto Park, a Sodexo-managed senior living community. Their Galleri Micro-Farm, nicknamed the “Bloom Box,” became more than they imagined.

A Living Hub of Connection

“It’s a socializing piece, and residents love being engaged with it,” Pretoria shared. “They love to see what’s being planted, the smell, the different activities our lifestyle directors create around it.”

Residents gather for flower pressing sessions with blooms they helped grow, bingo games featuring fresh ingredients, making bruschetta with basil harvested moments before, and creating mocktails with aromatic mint they watched flourish.

The farm sits in their main social area, where residents watch shows, play games, and witness growth unfolding before their eyes. They participate in every step—choosing what to plant, harvesting with gloves, washing produce together—creating ownership and pride in what appears on their plates.

The Wonder That Never Gets Old

“What’s going to be planted next is always the next conversation in the dining room,” Pretoria explained. “Our Bloom Box is always a conversation piece. It helps them mentally, physically, and it’s an amazing addition to our community.”

“They can’t imagine how green it is,” Pretoria shared. “They’re like, ‘It’s so green, so beautiful, so fresh.’ They really enjoy getting their hands in it.”

For residents who used to garden, the farm rekindles cherished memories. The simple act of harvesting, washing produce together, and anticipating what’s growing next creates connection, purpose, and joy.

Top 3 Resident Favorites:

1. Flower pressing – working with edible flowers
2. Mint – for tea and mocktails
3. Basil – for fresh Italian dishes and bruschetta

You Don’t Need Gardening Experience

Jarvis Wright shared honestly: he’s not a natural gardener. “Pretoria loves to garden, and I don’t,” he admitted. “I feel like if I can maneuver my way through, anybody can. I don’t have a green thumb at all, but you’d look at this photo and think I did.”

The technology monitors pH levels, nutrients, water, and light automatically while the Guided Growing App walks first-time growers through every step. Professional-quality produce grown by anyone willing to bring curiosity.

Virginia Commonwealth University: Empowering Students Through Fresh Food Education

At Virginia Commonwealth University, the Galleri Micro-Farm supplements dining hall offerings while becoming a powerful educational tool for student wellness. The campus dietitian sees it as more than fresh herbs—it’s a living example of sustainable food.

Supporting Students Finding Their Way

Many students arrive on campus managing meals independently for the first time. Without home-cooked meal structure, they feel overwhelmed by dining hall choices and unsure how to build balanced meals. The farm helps bridge that gap.

“A large part of my role involves being a resource for students, addressing nutrition questions, concerns about on-campus dining, or special dietary needs,” says Quinn Taylor, Registered Dietitian at VCU. Through consultations, wellness tabling events, and social media, the farm becomes a conversation starter about where food comes from and making nourishing choices.

Versatile Herbs for Every Menu

The VCU team focused on versatility when selecting what to grow. With frequently cycling menus, they chose herbs and greens that work across multiple cuisines: mint, basil, cilantro, and microgreens. These workhorses appear in everything from Latin dishes to infused waters and garnishes.

“Mint, basil, and cilantro are favored because they’re frequently used,” Taylor noted. The yield supplements dining hall needs without replacing supply chains—a smart, realistic approach adding value while staying manageable.

The team appreciates how the Galleri Farm’s design improves workflow. Shorter depth makes accessing top zones easier, individual trays prevent water spillage during cleaning, and the intuitive app helps plan harvests around academic calendars.

Humana: Where Fresh Becomes a Daily Showstopper

At Humana’s corporate café, Catering Manager Kitty Mason brings special care to managing their Galleri Micro-Farms. The farms provide fresh basil, cilantro, butterhead lettuce, and microgreens for café offerings—but they’ve become something more personal.

A Peaceful Ritual That Grows Knowledge

“The growing process is my getaway from a busy schedule,” Kitty shared. Managing farms has expanded her gardening knowledge at work and home, creating a peaceful ritual amid daily demands. There’s something grounding about checking on plants, harvesting fresh greens, and providing something special for the café community.

“For me, the farms are more than food—they’re a showstopper that sparks conversations and inspires the team every day,” she explained. Whether café visitors ask what’s growing or team members get excited about incorporating ultra-fresh ingredients, the visual presence creates engagement extending far beyond the plate.

Kitty’s story reminds us that farms don’t just serve people who eat from them—they also nourish those who tend them, offering moments of calm, pride, and connection throughout the workday.

What Makes On-Site Hydroponic Farming Partnerships Flourish

These partners serve different communities: luxury resort guests, senior living residents, college students, and corporate employees—yet their success stories share common threads revealing what’s possible when bringing farming closer to people:

Partnership That Goes Beyond the Product

Whether supporting VCU through extended breaks or helping Pretoria at Palmetto Park discover new menu applications, an ongoing partnership makes the difference. This hands-on approach ensures farms stay vibrant, productive, and deeply woven into daily operations across every industry.

The Farm as an Experience

From Eagle Ridge’s restaurant entrance to Palmetto Park’s social area to Humana’s café, these farms take center stage. They spark curiosity, invite questions, and create moments of wonder extending engagement far beyond the meal.

Technology That Empowers

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener like Pretoria or someone without a green thumb like Jarvis, the Guided Growing App and automated BabylonIQ system work for busy teams. Partners across industries discovered that technology becomes an enabler, making restaurant-quality harvests possible without specialized training.

Flavor and Purpose That Transform

There’s no comparison to the concentrated, vibrant flavor of greens harvested hours or minutes before service. Beyond taste, these farms serve deeper purposes: educating students about nutrition, providing peaceful moments for catering managers, rekindling memories for seniors, and giving guests a visible connection to sustainability values.

Why On-Site Hydroponic Farming Matters

These conversations revealed something profound: Babylon Micro-Farms isn’t just delivering technology—we’re enabling experiences bringing people closer to their food and each other across every dining environment.

At Eagle Ridge, we create “wow” moments when luxury guests witness sustainability in action. At Palmetto Park, we spark joy and rekindle memories for seniors. At VCU, we support dietitians educating the next generation about nutrition and fresh food. At Humana, we provide peaceful “getaway” moments for professionals while inspiring teams.

Across hospitality, senior living, healthcare, and higher education, the Galleri Micro-Farm delivers:

• Year-round abundance with vibrant harvests every season
• Visual storytelling bringing your values to life
• Educational opportunities empowering students, residents, and guests
• Community engagement around the universal joy of growing food
• Seamless integration into diverse operational workflows
• Measurable sustainability impact you can see, taste, and share
• Personal fulfillment for people who tend the farms

This is what’s possible when you bring the farm inside, inspiring greater connection to fresh, delicious food and how it’s grown, no matter what industry you serve.

Ready to Transform Your Dining Experience with On-Site Hydroponic Farming?

Whether you’re elevating dining at a luxury resort, creating joy in senior living, nourishing students on campus, or transforming your corporate café, these stories illuminate what’s possible when bringing fresh food and the wonder of growing it directly to your community.

Ready to discover what fresh really means? Schedule a demo today and let’s grow something amazing together.

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In How Babylon Micro-Farms Brings Food as Medicine to Life, we explored how on-site growing closes the gap between harvest and plate. That proximity matters. Research shows that postharvest handling and time in transit can significantly affect both the nutritional and sensory quality of leafy greens (Ares et al., 2018). Growing food where it is consumed helps preserve flavor, nutrient density, and visual appeal, reinforcing healthier eating behaviors through quality and access rather than instruction alone.

The Science Behind Food as Medicine

The growing momentum behind food as medicine is supported by an expanding body of research. Studies consistently link diets rich in fruits and vegetables with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions (Herforth et al., 2019). More targeted food-as-medicine interventions, such as produce prescriptions and medically tailored nutrition programs, have been shown to improve diet quality and food security among participants (American Heart Association, 2023).

While clinical outcomes such as glycemic control and blood pressure vary by study design, systematic reviews demonstrate strong associations between food-based interventions and improved engagement in preventive health behaviors (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2023). Participants in produce prescription programs reported not only increased fruit and vegetable intake but also greater confidence in preparing healthy meals and stronger intentions to maintain dietary changes beyond the intervention period. These behavioral shifts suggest that access alone, while necessary, works in concert with visibility, routine exposure, and the removal of logistical barriers. These findings reinforce the idea that food plays a foundational role in health, particularly when paired with education, visibility, and routine access.

Galleri Micro-Farms at Mayo Clinic’s Rochester, MN location

Aligning With National Food Is Medicine Priorities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, defines food as medicine as a spectrum of interventions that integrate nutrition into healthcare delivery and community settings (ODPHP, 2024). The initiative identifies four key pathways: medically tailored meals for those with specific health conditions, produce prescriptions that allow healthcare providers to “prescribe” fruits and vegetables, community food programs that address food insecurity, and nutrition education integrated into clinical care. The framework emphasizes that effective interventions must address both the availability of nutritious food and the systemic barriers—cost, transportation, time, and knowledge—that prevent people from accessing it. This includes strategies that improve access to nutritious food, support dietary change, and reduce barriers related to food insecurity. This includes strategies that improve access to nutritious food, support dietary change, and reduce barriers related to food insecurity.

Babylon Micro-Farms’ approach aligns with this framework by embedding food production directly into institutions. On-site growing supports federal priorities around prevention and equity by making nutritious food visible and accessible in everyday environments rather than limiting it to episodic programs or prescriptions (ODPHP, 2024). Federal guidance notes that the most successful food is medicine programs create sustained, routine access rather than one-time interventions, recognizing that dietary behavior change requires repeated exposure and the normalization of healthy options within daily environments.

Why Freshness and Proximity Matter

Freshness is not only a culinary concern. It is a nutritional one. Research comparing fresh, frozen, and canned produce shows that nutrient retention varies significantly depending on time to processing and storage conditions (Rickman et al., 2007). The study found that while freezing can preserve nutrients effectively when done immediately after harvest, fresh produce transported over long distances and stored for extended periods often showed vitamin C losses of 15-77 percent depending on the vegetable and storage duration. Frozen vegetables sometimes retain more nutrients than “fresh” produce that has spent days in transit and additional time on store shelves. For leafy greens in particular, vitamin degradation can occur rapidly after harvest, especially when supply chains are long and storage times extended (Lisiewska et al., 2009).

By harvesting produce at the point of use, on-site farms help minimize nutrient loss while delivering food at peak quality. This reinforces findings that cooking methods, storage, and handling all influence the final nutritional value of vegetables served (Miglio et al., 2008). Research on cooking methods revealed that steaming preserved the highest levels of antioxidants and vitamins in vegetables compared to boiling or frying, but that even optimal cooking methods could not compensate for nutrients already lost during prolonged storage. The study emphasized that the nutritional value delivered to consumers depends on the entire chain from harvest through preparation, with time being among the most critical factors affecting final nutrient content.

Freshly harvested lettuce from a Galleri Micro-Farm

From Policy to Practice

What distinguishes food as medicine today is its movement from policy language to practical implementation. Public attitudes increasingly support food-based health strategies, with national surveys showing strong interest in nutrition-focused interventions as part of healthcare and community wellness efforts (Rockefeller Foundation, 2025).

On-site farming represents one way institutions can translate this interest into action. It operationalizes food as medicine by integrating nutrition into the physical environment, supporting both individual behavior change and organizational health goals.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Chronic Disease in America.” 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/index.htm

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). “Food Is Medicine Initiative.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2024. https://odphp.health.gov/foodismedicineOffice of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). “Understanding Food Is Medicine.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2024. https://odphp.health.gov/foodismedicine/understanding-food-medicine

Rockefeller Foundation. “Food Is Medicine: Public Attitudes Survey.” 2025.

Miglio, C., Chiavaro, E., Visconti, A., Fogliano, V., and Pellegrini, N. “Effects of Different Cooking Methods on Nutritional and Physicochemical Characteristics of Selected Vegetables.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008.

Ares, G., et al. “Postharvest Changes in Sensory and Nutritional Quality of Lettuce.” Postharvest Biology and Technology, 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6145246/

Lisiewska, Z., and Kmiecik, W. “Retention of Vitamin C in Frozen Spinach and Kale.” Food Chemistry, 2009.

Rickman, J.C., Barrett, D.M., and Bruhn, C.M. “Nutritional Comparison of Fresh, Frozen, and Canned Fruits and Vegetables.” Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2007.

Herforth, A., et al. “A Global Review of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines.” Nutrition Reviews, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuz043

American Heart Association. “Systematic Review of Food Is Medicine Randomized Controlled Trials.” 2023. https://professional.heart.org

Babylon Micro-Farms. “How Babylon Micro-Farms Brings Food as Medicine to Life.” https://babylonmicrofarms.com/how-babylon-micro-farms-brings-food-as-medicine-to-life/

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Schools and communities across the country are rethinking what “local food” really means. It is about strengthening food systems, empowering students, and building a healthier, more sustainable future one seed, one harvest, and one lesson at a time.

At Babylon Micro-Farms, we are proud to help bring that vision to life. Our indoor micro-farms give schools the ability to grow fresh, nutrient-dense produce on-site all year long with no pesticides, no long-distance shipping, and no dependence on growing seasons. Beyond the harvest, each farm becomes a living classroom that supports hands-on learning, environmental stewardship, and meaningful connections between students and the food on their plates.

This month, we are highlighting a few of the inspiring partners putting this into action every day, including Green Bronx Machine, Norfolk Public Schools, and Bentonville Public Schools. Together, we are helping schools turn fresh food into a daily experience, not just an idea.

Growing Learning and Nutrition at Green Bronx Machine

In the Bronx, Green Bronx Machine is redefining how education and agriculture intersect. Founded by educator and advocate Stephen Ritz, the organization empowers students to grow their own food and, in the process, grow stronger, healthier communities.

Students in the Green Bronx Machine classroom harvesting bok choy

Partnering with Babylon Micro-Farms, Green Bronx Machine uses indoor farming technology to connect students directly to how their food is grown. Within classroom settings, students plant seeds, learn how light, water, and nutrients work together to support plant growth, and watch as their crops thrive in real time. The micro-farm becomes a living lesson in biology, sustainability, and nutrition education, all while producing fresh greens for classroom tastings and community events.

By transforming urban learning spaces into hands-on growing environments, Green Bronx Machine and Babylon Micro-Farms are showing students that they can be both the innovators and the caretakers of their own food systems.

From Farm to Cafeteria in Norfolk Public Schools

Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia is demonstrating what true farm-to-school innovation looks like by bringing hyper-local produce directly into school meals across the district. At the district’s central nutrition services office, Four Galleri Micro-Farms are used to grow vibrant leafy greens that are prepared and distributed to schools for use in daily menus.

This centralized approach ensures that students across the city benefit from fresh, sustainably grown produce while supporting the district’s commitment to local sourcing and environmental stewardship. Each harvest of lettuce, basil, or microgreens makes its way from the farm to the cafeteria, closing the loop between food production and nutrition.

By integrating indoor farming into their meal preparation process, Norfolk Public Schools has created a powerful example of how technology and tradition can work together to nourish students and strengthen community food systems. It’s a genuine farm-to-school success story, grown right in the heart of the district.

Fresh Ideas and Flavor in Bentonville Public Schools

Cece Pedersen, Farm Operator at Bentonville High School, with their Galleri Micro-Farm

In Bentonville Public Schools (AR), the connection between local food and student nutrition is thriving. At Bentonville High School and Bentonville High School West, staff operate two Galleri Micro-Farms, growing fresh herbs and greens that are incorporated into school meals across the district.

The farms supply the foodservice team with a steady source of hyper-local produce, inspiring new and flavorful menu options such as Banh Mi sandwiches topped with cilantro grown right inside the schools. This approach allows Bentonville’s nutrition staff to showcase the freshness and versatility of their own harvests, while reinforcing the district’s commitment to sustainability and innovation.

By growing produce on-site, Bentonville Public Schools is reducing food miles, enhancing menu quality, and modeling what farm-to-school can look like in the 21st century, where technology, wellness, and culinary creativity come together to nourish students every day.

Growing the Future, One Farm at a Time

Across these partnerships, Babylon Micro-Farms is helping schools bring fresh food and food education into everyday life. Our automated, soil-free systems use up to 96% less water than traditional farming and are designed to make sustainable food production simple, trackable, and inspiring.

What makes these programs powerful is not just the technology. It is the transformation. When students grow food themselves, they are more likely to try new vegetables, build a deeper understanding of sustainability, and see innovation in action right inside their own school.

This month, we are celebrating the educators, nutrition directors, and students who are turning fresh food into a hands-on learning experience. Together, we are shaping a generation that does not just learn about change. They grow it.

 

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At Centra Health’s Lynchburg General Hospital, Tim Schoonmaker says his mission is “partnering with you to live your best life.” To that end, Lynchburg General has implemented a state-of-the-art micro-farm system from Babylon Micro-Farms right inside their food service department, and the facility has been harvesting the benefits ever since. After all, healing and wellness begins with what you’re putting on your dinner plate.

A Practical Solution

Rooftop farms have been around a while and have been somewhat successful. Even Harvard Business School has planted and harvested mini crops – but what happens to a farm in the winter in Boston? At Babylon Micro-Farms, we’ve taken the weather dilemma out of the picture; we provide portable indoor, modular, soil-free farming systems that yield fresh produce all year long. Lynchburg General’s farm is situated in its cafeteria, so the distance from farm to plate is a matter of feet. With conventional farming, the average distance that produce travels from farm to table is 1500 miles, and about 40% of produce ends up being thrown away before it ever reaches the consumer. Micro-farms eliminate travel (and its carbon footprint) and waste. Forbes praised the Babylon system and noted the simple, sustainable, and scalable nature of the units (as well as the high return on investment). Fifteen square feet of a micro-farm produces the same as 2000 square feet of an outdoor farm. The fixed monthly cost and superior support from our staff are welcome at Lynchburg General.

Sustainable Success

Schoonmaker values the sustainable nature of the micro-farm.  He appreciates that, as the chef, he is in control of the safety of his produce. There is a significant reduction of risk from spoilage, and there is no need for pesticides whatsoever. Lynchburg General has seen an overall cost reduction and an increase in health benefits with the Babylon indoor farm. The app which supports our system is comprehensive and user friendly, guiding the hospital staff from planting to transfer to harvest. We control the lighting and the irrigation remotely from our headquarters, so the guess work is removed from the process, leaving team at Lynchburg free to tend to their business of keeping staff, patients, and visitors well fed and healthy. Schoonmaker notes, “We looked at others, but Babylon Micro-Farms was the A-to-Z approach we were looking for.”

A Visible Difference

The micro-farm, stationed in the dining hall of the hospital, clearly in view of the public, generates excitement for both patients and staff. It serves to remind patients and visitors of the facility’s commitment to serving farm-fresh, sustainable produce. Further, Schoonmaker points out that it brings life into the hospital and provides peace of mind for staff, patients, and visitors alike. 

Eliminating waste and risk, reducing costs and increasing yields, and all the while providing nutrient-rich greens, the Babylon Micro-Farm units are currently making healthcare systems even healthier, and they just may be the way of the future for sustainable hospital food sources. 

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“We have the best dining service directors but not good farmers.” So says Bob Raymond, Vice President of Procurement and Dining Services for Commonwealth Senior Living. This simple but brief sentiment serves as a clear explanation for why Commonwealth Senior Living (CSL) contacted us at Babylon Micro-Farms. We installed hydroponic micro-farms in many of their dining halls across several states, providing them with simple, sustainable farming systems which yield fresh produce right in the facility. Commonwealth maintains that wellness is the number one concern in senior living, and we’re proud to be part of the team that’s empowering CSL to improve the quality of life for their residents every day. 

Managing Success

For the administrators of the facility, our farming system’s ease of use enables them to enjoy success  without the burdens of high maintenance or specialized training.  The technology on our system’s app directs the user from start to finish, indicating exactly when to plant, transfer, and harvest. We even control the lighting and irrigation of the crops remotely, eliminating the uncertainty of the process and allowing Raymond to manage the system in facilities across four states. He notes, “We are completely in control, from seed to harvest.”

Raymond also praises the cost-effective nature of the micro-farm. With a subscription to support and materials, there is a fixed monthly cost for our system. There are never unexpected shortages due to recalls or waste, so CSL can rely on a consistent price from planting to harvest. The sustainability of the system offers further stability from a budget as well as from an operational standpoint. 

Living Success

For the residents and staff of Commonwealth Senior Living, micro-farming aligns with their focus on wellness and quality of life. Our sustainable system eliminates the need for produce deliveries, reducing CSL’s footprint by 20,000 gallons of fuel each year. While that’s great news, here at Babylon, we’re particularly happy to hear that the residents are excited about their on-site farm: they select the seeds and help plant, transfer, and harvest, enjoying physical and mental engagement in the process.

In addition, CSL tells us that consumption of vegetables at the facilities is up by 35%. It’s no secret that eating nutrient-rich greens lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of heart disease, and increases brain activity. What most people don’t know is that the crops from our on-site micro-farms are higher in nutrients than conventionally farmed produce; it also helps that residents can pick from over 45 varieties of greens. 

Clearly, Commonwealth Senior Living is on the right track to long-term, sustainable wellness and quality of life, and the Babylon Micro-Farm system is an integral part of their operations. By bringing an engaging, enriching, and reward hydroponic farm system to their residents, they even won the 2020 Argentum Best of the Best Award – an opportunity that we’re bringing to other senior living facilities across the country. 

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According to the Food and Drug Administration, 40% of produce is lost before consumption. In addition, half of the nutrients in that produce is lost on the 1500 miles from farm to table. There’s got to be a better way to cut the carbon footprint, provide sustainable food, and eliminate waste in a cost-effective and safe manner. There is. It’s called micro-farming, and it’s happening right now at the University of Virginia courtesy of Babylon Micro-Farms. Our indoor, all-in-one farming units yield fresh produce, grown on site – and the students, faculty, and staff are not the only ones reaping the benefits.

A Healthier Student Body

The goal of the micro-farms at UVA, according to Samantha Jameson, the Sustainability Director for Aramark UVA Dining, was to increase sustainability options in the dining room as well as provide opportunities for students to engage in the growing systems. As students slowly become more eco-conscious, they want to be kept in the loop – whether that is growing their own food or knowing where it comes from. Our indoor units let students watch the progress of their farming and generate excitement throughout the campus. The students are involved from seed to harvest as they learn and live sustainable agriculture. They also get to enjoy great-tasting, nutrient-rich produce that they helped to grow.

Going Green and Saving Green

Developing green technologies with our farming system has kept the staff at the university engaged as well, and they are always on the lookout for ways to source local, sustainable produce. The low-maintenance system has a regular, consistent monthly cost, with no surprises due to spoilage or recalls. Babylon’s waste-free process yields beautiful produce, and Jameson claims, “it should be a staple in dining rooms across the country.” As it is, the university has units in every one of its dining rooms. Using less water (by about 90%) and producing higher yields (15 sq. ft. of a micro-farm produces the same as 2000 sq. ft. of an outdoor farm), the Babylon units have put vegetables on the menu and sustainable agriculture on the minds of everyone who sees them. And at UVA, that’s everyone.

Beyond the Campus Walls

As the demand for healthy food in urban areas increases, two fast growing college major tracks here and abroad are Sustainable Agriculture and Organic/Urban Farming. The need for sustainable, efficient food sources has also impacted other fields such as ecology, business, and public health. These areas of study available to students along with the current positive experience of micro-farming at UVA can translate into real-world solutions to food insecurity, waste, and the negative environmental impacts of lengthy food supply chains.

At Babylon Micro-Farms, our mission is simple: to help people grow food anywhere. With the excitement and success micro-farming has generated in higher education, our mission might be accomplished sooner than anyone thought possible. 

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l98f3-r4qpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXty8DAgGqY

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottbeyer/2019/11/25/modular-micro-farms-a-new-approach-

to-urban-food-production/?sh=40748daf2e9e

https://attra.ncat.org/product/food-miles-background-and-marketing/

https://www.collegemajors101.com/college-majors/organic-urban-farming

https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/food-loss-and-waste

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