Genius Grant for Urban Farmer
Will Allen, former pro basketball player and Fortune 500 marketing exec bought a 2 acre roadside farm in an economically depressed area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1993.
Since then his organization – Growing Power – has produced $500,000 of affordable fresh produce, meat and fish in an area characterized as a “food desert”. “Food desert” is a label applied to inner city areas that don’t have access to grocery stores and fresh produce.
Along the way he’s brought health and food appreciate to low income folks and has trained a couple thousand neighborhood volunteers.
Mr. Allen was just granted a “Genius Award” by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
His dream: to create a five story, off-the-grid eco-system.
He’ll grow food and raise animals. He’s working on turning food waste into fertilizer and methane gas, then using the methane as a power source.
This sounds similar to the “vertical farm” concept discussed in this post.
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