My forefathers were crofters living off the land in whatever way they could in the Hebridean islands off the north-west coast of Scotland. In the Western Isles the land mass is harsh, with rocky terrain, few trees for cover and battered by Atlantic swells. Crofters like my grandfather reared sheep, and the land was cultivated for hard crops like potatoes and turnips.

My summer holidays on my grandfather’s family croft on the Isle of Harris. Imagine trying to cultivate this land? The terrain, as you can see, was like the rocky side of the moon.

I often wonder what my grandfather would make of my way to grow food in my cloning rooms and hydroponic greenhouse. I’m not sure if he would understand, but if he tasted the food I guess he would believe it. Ironically, the inhospitable terrain of the Hebrides would be the ideal place to site a vertical farm, securing food production on the islands. 

Like my grandfather, I have tried to inspire my children with my passion for growing my own food using CEA. My sons have all grown up knowing about hydroponics. Perhaps it will be years before they acknowledge the ideas, but at least they have a grounding in the basics. We must move with the times if we want the future farmers to have the skills to feed themselves and others. They need inspirational leaders to follow, or perhaps just a mom.

Is farming in your DNA? Why don’t you share your story of family farming with us and how you are inspiring the next generation?

Janet Colston PhD is pharmacologist with an interest in growing ‘functional’ foods that have additional phytonutrients and display medicinal qualities that are beneficial to human health. She grows these using a range of techniques including plant tissue micropropagation and controlled environmental agriculture to ensure the highest quality control.

Bozeman, Mont. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making available up to $6.1 million for grants through its Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP). The competitive grants will support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects through two categories, Planning Projects and Implementation Projects. USDA will accept applications on Grants.gov until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 9, 2024.

Planning Projects initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs. Projects may target areas of food access, education, business and start-up costs for new farmers and the development of plans related to zoning and other needs of urban production.

Implementation Projects accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor and other agricultural practices that serve farmers and communities. Projects may improve local food access, include collaboration with partner organizations, and support infrastructure needs, emerging technologies, and educational endeavors.

A pre-recorded webinar on the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants webpage provides an overview of the grants’ purpose, project types, eligibility and basic requirements for submitting an application. You will also find a fact sheet and frequently asked questions on that page.

OUAIP was established through the 2018 Farm Bill. It is led by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and works in partnership with numerous USDA agencies that support urban agriculture and innovative production. The grants are part of a broad USDA investment in urban agriculture.

To learn more, visit usda.gov/urban/grants.    

Black History Month is a time of celebration, education, and reflection at Black Seeds Urban Farm, located in Memphis, Tennessee. Bobby and Derravia Rich started the community garden to provide local, organic fruits, vegetables, and nuts to neighbors with little or no access to fresh, nutritious food.“Black History Month is a time to reflect on the rich agricultural heritage ingrained in our culture,” said Bobby. “Being urban farmers, we see ourselves as custodians of sustainable foods that have nourished our communities for generations, reaching back to ancient history.”Educational events and workshops during Black History Month highlight agricultural practices deeply rooted in Black culture. “We take pride in growing varieties of produce that honor our ancestors like a variety of greens, black walnuts, okra, pecans and more; while recognizing the essential role these foods have played in sustaining and nourishing our communities throughout history,” said Derravia. “The struggles and triumphs of our ancestors motivate us to continue cultivating sustainable foods and maintaining a connection to our agricultural roots. Each crop we grow is a testament to the resilience and resourcefulness embedded in our cultural history, serving as a living tribute to those who came before us.”

Black Seeds is more than an urban farm, it is a local food movement that underscores the power of people working together for the common good. It embodies the principles of the People’s Garden, inspiring people to join, grow, and teach.Wellness is about more than healthy food. It includes strong community ties, space to relax, and shared concern for the health of our planet. The farm’s visitors are invited to use the space in whatever way nourishes them the most, — from picking their own produce, to enjoying a quiet space for meditation, to relaxing in the hammocks surrounded by nature, to gathering for a picnic or event.

“Black History Month serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring legacy of our community,” said Derravia. “It fuels our passion for urban farming, inspires us to contribute meaningfully to the People’s Garden Initiative and fosters a sustainable, thriving future for generations to come.”

A team from the Lake Mary corporate office comprised of employees from the Village Farms and Village Farms Fresh divisions spent a morning assembling nutritious meals for children at the Second Harvest Food Bank’s Mercy Kitchen location.  In total 7500 meals were assembled for children.  In combination with the volunteer effort Village Farms Fresh is currently running a virtual food drive on their social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram, as part of Second Harvest Food bank “Hope of the Holidays” program where each $10 donation funds 40 meals.

According to Helen L. Aquino, Director of Brand Marketing & Communications for Village Farms Fresh, “It was a fun and engaging experience to be part of Mercy Kitchen’s day-to-day process and for us as a company to give back in this small way through a morning of volunteering. Super happy we prepared healthy and balanced children’s meals that included an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetable”.

According to their website, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a private, nonprofit organization that collects, stores, and distributes donated food to more than 625 feeding partners in seven Central Florida counties. Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia and Marion. Last year, with the help of numerous donors, volunteers and a caring, committed community, the food bank distributed enough food for 81 million meals to partner programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, senior centers, day care centers and Kids Cafes.

With a mission to create hope and nourish lives through a powerful hunger relief network, while multiplying the generosity of a caring community, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s vision of inspiring and engaging community to end hunger and help neighbors thrive is one Village Farms Fresh is honored to take part in.  For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and their efforts to fight hunger please visit their website at www.feedhopenow.org For more information about Village Farms Fresh visit www.villagefarmsfresh.com

About Village Farms Fresh

Village Farms Fresh is one of the largest growers, marketers, and distributors of premium-quality, greenhouse-grown fruits, and vegetables in North America. The food the company’s farmers grow are all harvested by hand from environmentally friendly, soil-less, glass greenhouses daily utilizing the highest level of food safety standards available. The Village Farms® brand of fruits and vegetables are marketed and distributed primarily to local retail grocers and dedicated fresh food distributors throughout the United States and Canada. Since its inception, Village Farms has been guided by sustainability principles that enable the company to grow food 365 days a year that not only feeds the growing population but is healthier for people and the planet. Village Farms is Good for the Earth® and good for you. Good for the Earth® and Garden Fresh Flavor® are not only taglines for the company but the value proposition Village Farms Fresh lives by.  And this is why, it Takes a Village® to deliver on this promise.

• Affordability scores have dropped dramatically on a global scale
• Climate change continues to threaten food security from multiple fronts
• European economies remain the most food secure

London, United Kingdom —The 11th edition of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) reveals a fragile global food system ill prepared to weather shocks like the war in Ukraine and this summer’s heatwaves. The study from Economist Impact, supported by Corteva Agriscience, finds that insufficient investment and increasing volatility continue to drive the deterioration of the global food environment. This year’s skyrocketing food prices and rising global hunger are not just the product of conflict and extreme weather; they are also the reflection of a worrying trend of declining resilience in our food system.

The world made big gains in food security from 2012 to 2015, with overall GFSI scores jumping by 6%. However, structural issues and significant risks in the global food system subsequently led growth to slow, and for the past three years the trend in the overall food security environment has reversed. Stalled progress reflects volatility in agricultural production, weak investment in agricultural research and development (R&D), scarcity of natural resources, rising inequality, and trade and supply-chain volatility.

The GFSI shows that governments are not prepared for the inevitable increase in extreme weather events like this summer’s heatwaves across Europe and North America and devastating flooding in Pakistan. Water management techniques and existing irrigation systems that can help manage the effects of climate change are lacking globally. In an era of scarcity in natural resources, investment in agricultural R&D to enhance yields and sustainably improve production is in decline, while soil and land management practices remain weak.

“The 2022 Global Food Security Index highlights the crucial impact of structural issues and risks to food security such as volatility in agricultural production, trade and supply-chain disruption, scarcity of natural resources, and increasing economic inequality,” says Pratima Singh, Principal, Policy and Insights at Economist Impact. “Recent shocks, like the Ukraine conflict and high food prices, are stressing an already fragile global food system.”

“Economist Impact’s global report highlights the critical role farmers play in addressing food security, and actions we can all take to address the wide gaps in underserved markets,” says Tim Glenn, Executive Vice President, Seed Business Unit, Corteva Agriscience. “There is an urgent action to renew our collective commitment to collaboration and improving access to innovation to combat food insecurity.”

The GFSI evaluates and ranks 113 countries on 68 indicators, including the affordability, availability and quality of their food supply, as well as sustainability and adaptation.

To account for the complexity, interconnectedness and ever-changing nature of the global food system, several new indicators were added to the GFSI this year. These capture farmers’ access to community organisations and extension services, and changes in producer prices. With more targeted focus on farmers, the GFSI helps leaders to tailor policies and solutions to the people who ensure resilience in the food system.

Key findings from the 2022 GFSI:

• Affordability scores have dropped globally: Affordability scores have dropped by 4% between 2019 and 2022, dragging overall scores down in the 2022 GFSI. This decline has been driven by the covid-19 pandemic and higher prices for agricultural inputs, combined withweakening trade freedom and government inability to fund safety nets. This sharp fall does not include the most recent developments, including global food price inflation of 7.9%.
• European economies are the most food secure: Eight of the top ten performers in 2022 come from high-income Europe, led by Finland (with a score of 83.7), Ireland (scoring 81.7) and Norway (scoring 80.5). Japan (scoring 79.5) and Canada (scoring 79.1) round out the remainder of the top ten.
• The least food-secure countries are active conflict zones and face severe climate risks: Syria is at the bottom of the list (with a score of 36.3), followed by Haiti (scoring 38.5) and Yemen (scoring 40.1). Consistent with past years of the index, six of the bottom ten scoring nations in 2022 come from Sub-Saharan Africa, where climate risks are most acute and three countries are also dealing with conflict.
• The food security situation across nations varies widely: The average score of the top ten countries is twice that of the bottom ten, and Syria achieves less than half Finland’s score. This inequality has increased over time. The difference between the top performer and the country at the bottom of the ranking has continued widening since 2019.
• Irrigation systems and water management techniques need urgent attention to counter the effects of climate change: Extreme weather and warmer temperatures demand that we use water resources effectively, yet the 2022 GFSI shows that policymakers are falling short in efforts to manage water risk. Irrigation infrastructure has been largely unchanged in the 11 years of the GFSI, remaining the lowest scoring of all measures in the index.

To access the global and regional reports and other detailed findings from the index, visit https://economistimpact.com/food-security-index.

The initial award, totaling $2.1 million with matching funds from the Modeling the Future of Food in Your Neighborhood Study partners, identified tipping points to maximize the equitable impact of coordinated food systems efforts. This research engaged community partners to develop models that reflect neighborhood-level food system dynamics.

Building on the findings from the original grant, this second award, along with 19 matching funders, is funding the Nourishing Neighborhoods Empowering Communities Study to examine the success of the Nourishing Power Network. This Network seeks to provide a foundation for promoting freedom, hope, and dignity in food traditions resulting in holistic health for Black, Latino/a/x, Asian and Indigenous communities. Specifically, the Network is testing ways to accelerate nutrition equity by expanding community-initiated food justice initiatives in cities with high rates of food insecurity. This award further extends the research team to include two community partners as co-leads of the study: The FARE Project and Neighborhood Connections.

“Solving entrenched problems of the food system necessitates a synchronized approach that prioritizes change led by the community,” said Dr. Darcy Freedman, Swetland professor of Environmental Health Sciences and professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. “Transforming outcomes of the food system to advance health equity will require reimagining the system’s goals and changing behavior—by individuals, organizations, communities and policymakers. Our approach aims to test the impact of establishing nutrition equity as a new goal for food systems in racialized urban neighborhoods.”

Communities with a history of disinvestment tend to have fewer stores selling fresh and healthy foods, higher rates of food insecurity and poorer diet quality that collectively contribute to disparities in quality and length of life for underrepresented minorities. Growing evidence suggests that singular initiatives, such as opening a grocery store, starting a farmers’ market or changing stocking standards at food pantries do not result in sustained impact for health equity.

Thus, this research instead focuses on community engagement to foster nutrition equity. The Nourishing Power Network translates the team’s modeling research into community action through intersecting activities designed to further community ownership of local food systems.

“Nutrition inequality negatively affects a person’s overall health and is a symptom of systemic problems. Nutrition security and hunger must be addressed using a coordinated, community-led approach,” said Dr. John Reich, FFAR scientific program director. “This research will identify opportunities to improve efforts to provide equitable food access within a local food system while involving those who are directly affected by these issues.”

Evaluation of the Nourishing Power Network will lean into the team’s initial research focused on the complex system dynamics shaping nutrition equity. The researchers will use case studies and social network analysis to dive deeper into how and why food systems change is sparked and sustained in a community, including examining unintended consequences of transformation. Findings will provide guidance on community-derived methods for measuring nutrition equity within hyper-local settings, such as neighborhoods. The Nourishing Power Network is initially focusing on Cleveland, East Cleveland, Euclid, Cleveland Heights and Garfield Heights—cities with the highest rates of nutrition security in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Long term, the goal is to establish a network approach that generates responsive solutions to food insecurity that could be replicated nationally.

Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement USDA’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

Connect: @FoundationFAR

About Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is one of the country’s leading private research institutions. Located in Cleveland, we offer a unique combination of forward-thinking educational opportunities in an inspiring cultural setting. Our leading-edge faculty engage in teaching and research in a collaborative, hands-on environment. Our nationally recognized programs include arts and sciences, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing, and social work. About 5,800 undergraduate and 6,300 graduate students comprise our student body. Visit case.edu to see how Case Western Reserve thinks beyond the possible.

Michael DeGiglio, President & CEO, Village Farms International noted that H-E-B’s Spirit of Giving Fund was a natural partner for the company wide fund-raising effort, “We admire H-E-B’s swift response to help the Uvalde community and are pleased to support the efforts of the Spirit of Giving Fund. We deeply appreciate our mutual partnership we have nurtured for more than 25 years together in the great state of Texas, even more so in the wake of this horrific tragedy where it has come so close to home for us.”

DeGiglio added, “I am particularly touched that our Texas-based Village Farms Fresh greenhouse team are prominent among the contributors. Many in our company call Texas home and this tragedy has been profoundly heartfelt for us as a company.”

Ben Ferreira, Business Development Manager for H-E-B also added, “We are proud to work with an organization like Village Farms that shares our values and our concern and care for our communities here in Texas.”

For more information about Village Farms Fresh please visit www.villagefarmsfresh.com 

About Village Farms Fresh

Village Farms Fresh is one of the largest producers, marketers, and distributors of premium-quality, greenhouse-grown fruits, and vegetables in North America. The food the company’s farmers grow are all harvested from environmentally friendly, soil-less, glass greenhouses daily utilizing the highest level of food safety standards available. The Village Farms® brand of fruits and vegetables are marketed and distributed primarily to local retail grocers and dedicated fresh food distributors throughout the United States and Canada. Since its inception, Village Farms has been guided by sustainability principles that enable the company to grow food 365 days a year that not only feeds the growing population but is healthier for people and the planet. Village Farms is Good for the Earth® and good for you.

For Young Consumers Farm-to-Fork Is Not Organic

By Ariana Torres

This study investigated the market segments of young consumers based on their valuation towards foods from organic, local, sustainable, and small-family systems.

Millennials and Gen Z are predicted to shape emerging food trends in America. Millennials – the largest living generation – are spending more food dollars in restaurants and convenient meal prepping than previous generations. Millennials are usually described as progressive, open to trying new foods, and willing to value sustainable food attributes.

Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2008 – are characterized by their health consciousness and social media connectivity. As the newest and most ethnically diverse generation, Gen Z consumers have been introduced to healthy lifestyle choices and sustainable living at an earlier age than previous generations. Together, these two generations comprise the most consumption-oriented consumers of all time with access to abundant information on foods.

Market segmentation can help industry marketers to generate appropriate targeting and communication messages to help consumers make sustainable purchases. By understanding how these young consumers value different environmental and social attributes, market segmentation can allow food marketers to make
attributes claims more relevant.

Supplying foods with attributes that align with values can help marketers develop trust relationships with these two generations, that can result in long-term loyalties for products and businesses. Developing correct messages that appeal to their clientele can assist growers and retailers on enhancing the positioning of their food products in a competitive environment.

The Importance of Consumers’ Values and Attitudes Towards Foods

Researchers have reported the strong connection between messages that convey how foods are produced and marketed and consumers’ values and attitudes. Values and attitudes are strongly correlated with buying behavior, suggesting that young consumers adopt sustainable consumption patterns as a way to impact food systems with their dollar spending.

Main Characteristics of Young Consumers

Data for this study comes from a 2017 web-based survey of 1,351 Millennials and Gen Z consumers. They were asked about the importance they place on fresh produce attributes such as organic (ORGANIC), local (LOCAL), sustainable (SUSTAINABLE), and small-family farms (SMALL).

Most young consumers value foods coming from sustainable agriculture (79%), followed by local (73%), and small-family farms (71%). Interestingly, organic agriculture was the least important for young consumers, as they placed an average importance of 56%.

Most young consumers (97%) in the sample buy fruits and vegetables from grocery stores, 44% buy from farmers markets, and only 2% of young consumers are involved with growing some produce.

What Are the Market Segments of Young Consumers?

Young consumers can be clustered in 4 distinct market segments:

The first market segment, the largest segment, represents 33% of the sample (426 consumers). Cluster 1 (labeled committed) strongly valued all four attributes as important, as evidenced by the highest average values across all attributes (within column). The committed segment was comprised by a higher share of Millennials and Gen Z consumers purchasing in farmers markets (53%), being female (69%), seeking opportunities for campus/community involvement (59%), being out-of-state or international students, and living in on-campus housing.

The second market segment consisted of 27% of consumers. Consumers in the second cluster, labeled farm-to-fork, had high preference for attributes commonly related with local food systems, such as local, sustainable, and small-family farming, but not with organic farming. The farm-to-fork is comprised of individuals with an agricultural background (47%), coming from Midwestern states (74%), and enrolled in an agricultural major (28%). While the committed and farm-to-fork segments are different, Millennials and Gen Z consumers in the farm-to-fork cluster shared some demographic similarities with consumers in cluster 1. For example, they reported a similar shopping behavior, as well as their proportion of female, involvement in campus/community events, and in-campus housing.

The third market segment consists of 26% of the sample (333 consumers). Consumers in the third cluster (labeled unattached) had moderate expectations for all features and did not show high preferences for any of the attributes. This group had mean score intermediate between cluster 2 and cluster 4 for most variables. For example, 39% of consumers in this group purchased at farmers markets, 53% were female, and 56% were from the Midwest. These
unattached consumers were characterized by actively seeking campus/community involvement activities, being international, and living in on-campus housing.

The fourth market segment, labeled skeptic, consists of 14% of the sample (178 consumers). The skeptic segment was the smallest group and was comprised by consumers who did not express high expectations in general. Consumers in this group scored the lowest on purchasing in farmers markets, lacked an agricultural background and reported being international or from out of the Midwest.

Take Home Message
• The findings suggest a lack of trust of the organic label by an important segment of young consumers. Food safety recalls, along with distrust of big corporations entering the organic industry, are likely to lead young consumers to prefer food products that convey sustainability, localness, and small farming.
• For food retailers to build long-term trusting relationships with young consumers, they should use figures and messages that convey transparency about how the product was produced.
• Other labels can communicate the impact of the product in local and farming communities.
• One option may be to propose the coexistence of organic labels with labels that convey localness, sustainability, and impact on small-family farming systems.
• Another option may be for labels and logos convey potential benefits to the environment and local communities, such as information on carbon footprint, use of pesticides, or protection to pollinators.

Literature cited
• Torres, A., 2020. For young consumers farm-to-fork is not organic: A cluster analysis of university students. HortScience, 55(9), pp.1475-1481.

Press Release, February 24, 2022 — In May 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, greenhouse vegetable grower AppHarvest approached commercial horticultural distributor Hort Americas with a challenging request. AppHarvest, which was already operating a 60-acre greenhouse tomato operation in Morehead, Ky., was looking to build an additional three production facilities in the Appalachian region. AppHarvest’s request to Hort Americas was to source LED grow lights that were:

1. Manufactured in the United States.

2. Manufactured in the Appalachian region.

3. Manufactured at a cost equal or less than the other horticultural product suppliers.

Hort Americas president Chris Higgins accepted AppHarvest’s challenge and contacted GE Current, a Daintree company, which manufactures horticultural LED grow lights. At the time Current wasn’t manufacturing any of its grow lights in the United States.

Through a collaborative effort, known as AppLit, between the three companies, Current officials made the decision to begin producing LED grow lights at its manufacturing facility in Hendersonville, N.C.

“Current has produced outdoor and industrial products at the plant for 70+ years,” said Mike Armstrong, former director of strategic growth initiatives at Current. “The plant has reduced its footprint on the manufacturing side. By incorporating the latest robotics and high-speed assembly technology initiatives has enabled Current to speed up and improve its output efficiencies and its quality across the board. What that means for horticultural and agricultural products is the plant has compressed its manufacturing footprint within the facility which allows for opportunities for growth and expansion.”

Armstrong said the expansion that is occurring within the controlled environment agriculture industry offers a great opportunity for expansion at the Current plant.

“We have this manufacturing facility here in Henderson County, where there is this huge growth market and industry,” he said. “It gives us a lease on life for the future because it is such a growing and dynamic industry.”

Higgins said the benefits of the AppLit project are best summarized as promoting community and collaboration.

“The pandemic has forced us to become better problem solvers and better partners,” Higgins said. “We are building products in the United States that create good jobs for multiple people in the supply chain from manufacturing the lights to the people growing the food.

“AppLit was designed to support Appalachian companies and communities. This is going to lead to opportunities for greenhouse growers, vertical farmers and other people within the controlled environment agriculture sector around the country and throughout North America. It also reminds us of the importance of collaborations. These are lessons we don’t plan on forgetting anytime soon.”

For more: Hort Americas LLC, (469) 532-2383; SalesSupport@HortAmericas.com; https://hortamericas.com/. GE Current, a Daintree company, (216) 375-4618; Daniel.Lee3@gecurrent.com; https://www.gecurrent.com/horticulture. AppLit; https://applit.farm/.

During the very early months of the pandemic, our friends at AppHarvest came to us with a challenge. They wanted to know if Hort Americas could help them source lights that were:

1. Made in the USA.

2. Made in the Appalachian region.

3. Made at a cost equal or less than the competition offers.

In May 2020, this was a BIG ask.  Most companies were not thinking about new initiatives, especially anything that might add cost or require major investment. Due to the pandemic, most U.S.-based companies were more focused on applying for PPP or cutting costs as protection from an uncertain future and shrinking sales.

Thankfully, we all had plenty of time at our desk. So we placed a few phone calls to see what we could make happen. Our first call was to GE current, a Daintree company (when it comes to lighting, they are always our first call).  Truth be told, we expected a quick “no” and possibly a more emphatic “hell no.”  Instead what we heard was, “well (long pause), maybe (long pause) let us make some phone calls.”

This then led to a crazy 12 months. During this time,  we assessed and identified needs while uncovering what was possible. To say that any of the parties knew exactly what they were agreeing to would be completely misleading. Everyone was simply saying yes to an amazing opportunity.

“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later.”

Richard Branson

So what does AppLit mean?

It means that food production in the Appalachian region is now lit by lights built in the Appalachians by companies focused on bringing excellent opportunities to their communities by focusing on the economic condition, health and happiness of the people who power the region.

Read the full story at https://applit.farm/

YTP is a public-private partnership focused on youth ages 16-23 transitioning from foster care or experiencing homelessness. The project’s centerpiece is a tiny-home village, offering comprehensive life skills, employment training, education and well-being supports provided by the broader community.  Its goal is to support disconnected West Virginia youth as they transition into adulthood so they may reach their full potential and become productive, contributing citizens.

According to Corey, the first resident, “I have never been gifted with such a thing. And it truly honors me to be the first in the tiny home program in Stepping Stones. I look forward to a new challenge.”

Corey’s new home — and those soon to come — are the result of a large, caring community of supporters, funders and volunteers, including Cabell Huntington Hospital, Toyota Motor Manufacturing WV, Wayne High School CTE Engineering Class, Tolsia High School CTE Class, Truist Bank, Bernard McDonough Foundation, Braskem America Neal Plant and interior designers Pam and Tammy Watts, among others.  

“This is an exciting day for all of us at Stepping Stones.  Our heartfelt thanks go out to our many partners for getting us here.  Their generosity of funds, time and expertise enables us to serve West Virginia’s most vulnerable young people and provide them with the tools and skills they need as they begin their life’s journey, empowering them on that journey,” said Susan Fry, executive director, Stepping Stones. “A very special thank you to Green Bronx Machine and its founder Stephen Ritz for helping us early on to get our commercial greenhouse, the lynchpin of our village, up and running.”

Ritz and Green Bronx Machine have been working with Stepping Stones since 2018 on its Growing Hope initiative – a commercial greenhouse with 20 aeroponic Tower Gardens on property.  Using GBM’s propriety curriculum, Stepping Stones youth are trained to manage the greenhouse, growing their own food and donating excess to local communities in need.  

“This farm is the first commercial greenhouse in America run by foster care youth. It represents a highly replicable model and is an exemplar in horticultural therapy and whole child engagement as well as poly-technical training,” said Ritz.  “I always say my favorite crops are people. I am thrilled to see  Stepping Stones’ incredible young people continue to thrive and grow.”

About Stepping Stones, Inc.

Established in 1975, Stepping Stones, Inc. is a fully-licensed child welfare and behavioral health provider with over 46 years’ experience working with West Virginia’s troubled and troubling youth and their families. The therapeutic milieu is family-centered and youth-focused and provides youth with an opportunity to enhance cognitive competence, internalize coping skills and develop an “I Can” attitude. Through restructuring, reeducation and reintegration, Stepping Stones seeks to strengthen the youth’s relationship with family and community. The Program firmly believes that discovering and uncovering the connectedness of the youth and his family with the community is paramount in treatment delivery.  For more information, visit https://steppingstonesinc.org.

About Green Bronx Machine

Founded in 2011, Green Bronx Machine (GBM) is an impact-driven, for-purpose organization with 501(c)(3) status.  GBM builds healthy, equitable and resilient communities through inspired education, local food systems, and 21st Century workforce development. Dedicated to cultivating minds and harvesting hope, its school-based model and propriety curriculum uses urban agriculture aligned to key school performance indicators, to grow healthy students and healthy schools.  Simultaneously, GBM also transforms once fragmented and marginalized communities into neighborhoods that are inclusive and thriving.  For more information, visit www.greenbronxmachine.org.

PhAAST, or Pharmaceuticals As A Service Technology, is a unique concept that uses a plant-made technology which offers rapid development of biopharmaceutical products at lower capital expense and operating cost. Drug development and manufacturing can happen fast (PhAAST), enabling countries and regions to quickly develop reliable supply chains for needed biologics medicines. Rather than relying upon the traditional engineering and construction or CDMO models to deliver manufactured drugs, Phylloceuticals’ model helps nucleate teams to produce independently, with a proven production system and ongoing support from the Phylloceuticals team. Phyllo, which is a Greek work meaning ‘leaf,’ signifies the plant-made technology which fuels the PhAAST delivery. 

For more than three decades, the founding partners of Phylloceuticals have worked across the pharmaceutical industry. Their separate career paths have brought them together on a variety of award-winning projects. The strength and deep experience of the cross-functional team lies at the heart of the Phylloceuticals model. The company has a complete portfolio of skillsets, including drug development, regulatory strategy and enablement, full scale manufacturing and marketing support for company and product launch. PhAAST also includes groundbreaking data analytics, and top-level AI enabled process control. This platform fosters continuous improvement and can be monitored from anywhere for a reproducible model that can be replicated across regions and markets underserved currently by large pharma.

Confidential Draft-Under Embargo until February 3, 2021 @ 11 am

Phylloceuticals CEO Bill Brydges says: “In regions such as Vietnam, Africa, the MENA region and even Australia and Singapore, commonly prescribed biologics like rituximab for lymphoma and inflammatory diseases may currently be in short supply, or even unavailable to all but the wealthiest. COVID-19 highlighted supply chain difficulties for these regions. The need to rapidly ramp up and supply needed drugs for their own populations was the inspiration behind the formation of Phylloceuticals.” 

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The rising demand for high-quality recombinant therapeutics has driven development of cell-based manufacturing systems for improved production yields. Yet cell-based systems require much higher capital investments and operating costs to finance. Protein therapies now treat a vast number of indications including cancer, diabetes, and inflammatory diseases, and provide a rapid response vaccine platform. Monoclonal antibodies represent the largest market segment at 40% of global market. Other categories include vaccines, antibody drug conjugates, enzyme replacement, diabetes treatments including recombinant insulin, interferons and blood factors. 

Phylloceutical CSO Barry Holtz, PhD says: “When you bring us an opportunity, feasibility data will be available for you very rapidly. Using our plant-made pharmaceutical (PMP) platform, scale-up is rapid and predictable from early stage process development. The upstream process is always the same and much more cost effective than traditional bioreactor based systems. We have designed a next-gen PMP system 

incorporating newer plant culture automation, real time AI analytics and the latest in downstream improvements for biologics manufacturing. The time to market is greatly reduced using these new systems and as a result of our years of experience in full-scale manufacturing.”  

“Prepare for some exciting news in the near future,” – Phylloceutical spokesperson Susan Stipa. The individuals on the Phylloceuticals team have been improving lives for forty years with a variety of skill sets, providing creative therapeutic solutions to difficult medical problems and solving complex challenges for biologics manufacturers. “The experience, expertise, and intellectual property that each of the Phylloceutical partners bring to the table is unsurpassed and highly complementary and their dedication to doing good, by helping underserved areas of the world gain access to the drugs they need, is truly admirable,” says Stipa. 

The news on the formation of Phylloceuticals was welcomed throughout the industry. “We believe the formation of such a novel new company to address the current weaknesses in the pharmaceutical supply chain couldn’t come at a better moment, says Dr. Sancha Salgueiro, CEO of Chart Bio in Denmark.  “I know all of the partners personally, from their prior careers, and to see them collaboratively establish this new method of effectively delivering medicine to those with major unmet drug supply needs, is a tremendous step forward for our industry,” says Dr.Bernard Guay of BGC Pharma Consulting. 

Phylloceuticals will establish joint development agreements with investors, regions and clients. Other terms of the company formation were not disclosed.  

About Phylloceuticals

Phylloceuticals is a global technology company dedicated to providing affordable medicine to underserved areas of the world. Founded in 2021, Phylloceuticals is rapidly building a reputation for solving complex technical challenges in the most demanding environments — and allowing needed drugs to be produced locally, with ongoing support from our team. 

Phylloceuticals uses a plant-made technology which offers lower overall investment and a much quicker response time for drug development. Drug development and manufacturing happen fast (PhAAST), 

empowering underserved areas of the world to gain access to biologics medicines that other areas of the world take for granted. Phylloceuticals is not a CDMO. We are not a biologics or pharma company. Our mission is to nucleate, enable, and help construct companies in these traditionally underserved regions and underserved markets to manufacture biologics with our plant-made technology. We call it PhAAST – Pharmaceuticals as a Service Technology. 

About PhAAST 

PhAAST (Pharmaceuticals as a Service Technology) means: 

• Lower cost facilities and operations 
• Continuous improvements in plant-made pharmaceutical manufacturing systems 
• Rapid process and product development of new pharmaceutical candidates 
• Continuously optimized product vectors for an expanding product pipeline and increased production yield. 
• Management and staff recruitment and training 
• Centralized expert data management by automated quality control systems and data security through block chain technology 
• Regulatory support and clinical trial structure and management 
• Definition of geographic regions for marketing products, with a special emphasis on bringing biologics manufacturing to underserved areas 
• Assistance with obtaining capital 
• Marketing launch assistance for new companies.

For more information on Phylloceuticals, please visit http://phylloceuticals.com and connect with Phylloceuticals on LinkedIn.

[Photo above: Ramel with students and faculty from Breathitt High School in Jackson, Ky. on Jan. 15 at the opening of the school’s new container farm funded by AppHarvest and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.]

Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., Ramel “Smooth” Bradley aspired to become a professional basketball player like some of the kids that came before him. NBA Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Bernhard King were two of his role models.

“These great legends inspired my love for the game of basketball,” Bradley said. “As I got older my talents began to increase and I became one of the top prospects in the city. I attended Manhattan Park West High School in New York City and then transferred to the Pendleton School at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where I was member of the first basketball team in school history.”

At IMG Bradley was recruited by multiple college coaches including those from the University of Kentucky.

“What brought me to Kentucky was my love for the game of basketball,” he said. “While at UK, I became the starting point guard, captain and fan favorite of the Wildcats. I earned my degree and then played professional basketball in multiple countries including Croatia, France, Turkey and Israel.”

More important than basketball

In 2016 while visiting his family in New York, Bradley discovered his grandmother was having some health issues.

“I decided to stop playing the game I love for something that I love much more–my family and my community,” he said. “When I was 10-years old and falling in love with the game of basketball, my grandmother started a mission in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, focused solely on feeding the hungry. She started the mission in her kitchen out of the need to feed people who were hungry to provide them with some hope and encouragement.”

“I studied in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky because of the seed that was planted in me by my family. My interest in agriculture came from the leadership that my grandmother and family displayed in serving the community. I could see the difference on people’s faces when they were fed a meal and they received encouraging words regardless of their circumstances or where they came from.”

Healthy food is a solution

When Bradley stopped playing basketball he became involved again with his grandmother’s mission.

“We restarted the neighborhood pantry and I started to learn a lot more about the community in regards to food deserts, preventable diseases and the number of Americans dying from these diseases,” he said. “My grandmother is blind now and going to dialysis three times a week. It is one of the most devastating things for her to go through and for my family and I to have to witness. I also have friends and family who suffer from obesity. I never realized the level of access I was provided as a professional athlete to not only training and conditioning and living a healthy lifestyle, but also having access to healthy, nutritious food.

“When I came back home and got to see firsthand that family, friends and community members were suffering from preventable diseases, I made the decision to dedicate my life to feeding the people in my community. Healthy food is a solution to a lot of problems.”

While Bradley believes having access to food can have a major impact on improving the lives of Americans, it is the type of food that is even more important.

“One of the things that drives me is the health and nutritional well-being of our urban community members–the longevity of life,” he said. “A lot of the food that we are exposed to in our communities is processed and it’s just not good for us. If we can get people to eat healthier food, how many lives do we prolong and how many family members can lead happier lives?”

The CDC reported that only one in 10 Americans consumes enough fruits and vegetables. Cost has been cited as a possible barrier to higher fruit and vegetable consumption, especially for low-income households.

“There are a lot of people who are hungry in the world and need to receive food,” Bradley said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the food insecurity issue. If we’re not growing our own food, who is growing our food? Much of the produce consumed in America is imported. The U.S. imported more than 60% of fresh tomatoes in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“If the borders are closed where is that food going to come from? It is crucial that we grow our own food, which will help increase food security, whether it is controlled environment agriculture or open-field agriculture. We’re going to need a lot more food production and we’re going to need a lot more local food production.

Bradley said family and friends recently celebrated his grandmother’s mission by supporting New York City’s largest assistance organizations by giving out 1 million food boxes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Every week we feed families in the community in cooperation with a number of community organizations, including Change Food, Food Bank NY, City Harvest and the Campaign for Hunger,” he said. “All of these organizations have really stepped up in Brooklyn and N.Y. City to deliver nutritious food to community members.”

Reaching out to local communities

In 2016 after retiring from professional basketball, Bradley received a phone call from his good friend and University of Kentucky classmate Jonathan Webb.

“We had a real-life conversation about the lack of economic mobility in our communities, me in Brooklyn and Jonathan in Pikeville, Ky.,” Bradley said. “He knew that I was feeding community members trying to help them overcome preventable diseases. Jonathan told me about his vision of growing vegetables using controlled environment agriculture and being able to feed 70 percent of the Eastern seaboard through a central location in eastern Kentucky in Appalachia.

“That was the birth of our partnership and what brought me back to Kentucky, for us to start AppHarvest. We recently opened the doors to a 60-acre state-of-the-art greenhouse facility in Morehead, Ky.”

Bradley, who is community director at AppHarvest, works with both company employees as well as doing community outreach.

“Since I’ve trained extensively in controlled environment agriculture facilities, I’m able to provide a knowledge transfer to those coming into our company learning about this new industry and providing encouragement to our employees,” he said. That is what I do from an internal standpoint.

“Externally, I go out and share the AppHarvest story with students and community groups around the state and across the country to get them excited about agtech programs. When I joined Jonathan’s vision of making Appalachia an agtech hub one of the first things I did was to create an agtech program that we implemented in eastern Kentucky.”

One of the projects AppHarvest was involved with was retrofitting a 40-foot shipping container into a hydroponic production system that operates with a 5-gallon closed-loop irrigation system and LED lights for students to grow food.

“I helped develop the curriculum which teaches the students about plant science, the local food system, the food supply chain, how to build their own local food system and entrepreneurship,” Bradley said. “We have engaged hundreds of students from elementary to high school showing them a new way to grow food.

“We recently partnered with the Save the Children organization where we made over 1,600 grow kits for students to take home and learn about hydroponic growing. The students grow their own lettuce and we provide them with recipes that they can use to cook with their parents while they’re home during the pandemic.”

AppHarvest is also partnering with five universities in Kentucky. The goal is to work closely with them to develop programming and research and development with their students.

“What we are doing at AppHarvest is not being taught at most universities or high schools,” Bradley said. “We have been working with the governor of Kentucky who has put together an agtech task force which I am a part of. We want to continue developing partnerships with universities as well as community organizations throughout the state.

“We have broken ground on a second tomato greenhouse facility and a third facility for the production of leafy greens. We are very adamant about redefining agriculture and making the biggest impact we can possibly make.”

Inspiring future ag leaders

Through Bradley’s role as one of the founding members of AppHarvest, he has transitioned from professional athlete to becoming a Black farmer and community and youth leader.

“It is only right that I use this platform and use this responsibility to provide more access and more opportunity to future Black ag leaders,” he said. “Less than 2 percent of American farmers are African-Americans. By doing the work I’m doing I can hopefully inspire folks that look like me to take advantage of the new opportunities in this growing community.”

Bradley has been talking with leading youth agricultural organizations, including 4-H, FFA and Jr. MANRRS, to implement multicultural programs to develop future ag industry leaders.

“I’m also looking to work closely with historically black colleges and universities (HBCU),” he said. “I’ll start in Kentucky and then hopefully be able to provide access and opportunity to students at HBCU schools throughout the nation. That is another way we can make the ag community more diverse.

“Barriers are being broken by the work that I’m doing. I’m looking to inspire the people who I would like to see get involved in this industry. I am the modern farmer and this is how their future could look.” 

For more: AppHarvest, info@appharvest.com; https://www.appharvest.com.

This article is property of Urban Ag News and was written by David Kuack, a freelance technical writer in Fort Worth, Texas.