Farm Kit

Author: HLP

Scorecard Categories Addressed

  • Housing
    • Family Housing
  • Employment
    • Live and Work in the City
  • Cost of Living
    • Overall Cost of Living
  • Services
    • Grocery Stores
  • Transportation
    • Work Commute Time
  • Resources
    • Local Food

Solution Description

The TSR Group/Agriburbia company sells a "Farm Kit" that supports live/work options and local food. The Farm Kit also comes with a business plan and training to increases the chances for success for the farmer.

Farm Kit Contents:

  • Designed for 2-10 Acre Sites
  • Includes the Building, Business Plan, and Training
    • Building
      • 2 Story 34'x60'
      • Features: Home, Office, Commercial Kitchen, Walk-in Cooler, Market Pick-up, & Greenhouse
      • Steel Construction Prefab
      • Transported on 4 Semi-Trailers 50’ long
    • Business Plan: Profitable Organic Commercial Farming
      • Techniques to minimize water use and time investments
      • Information for selling produce on site
      • Plans for selling produce through a supplier chain network
    • 2-3 years of Hands-On Training
  • Cost: $185,000 - $250,000
  • A Restaurant Model is also available

Stakeholder Impact

All People
Access to healthy, local food

Families with Kids
Families are able to live and work at home as well as reduce food costs.
Kids learn a good work ethic participating in the family businesses of growing food and naturally eat healthier.

Seniors
Access to healthy food.

Working Age Adults
The Farm Kit will increase the number of local jobs.

City
The Farm Kits will improve the quality of life in the city and have a positive economic impact.

Growing food locally offers greater food security.
Residents are healthier with access to fresh food.
Profits from food stay local.

The city does need to ensure that zoning codes support the Farm Kits. Additionally, allowing the garden portion of the site to count towards open space requirement, can encourage a thriving local food industry.

Developers
Including a Farm Kit site in a neighborhood development can increase the attractiveness of the development (local food becomes an amenity) and allow the other sites to be sold at a higher price..

Case Study

Table Mountain Farms in Golden, Colorado

Table Mnt Farms 1
Table Mnt Farms 1 Table Mnt Farms 1

Quotes from the website:

Table Mountain Farms is ... a new model for local food farming, distribution and sales.

Table Mountain Farms ... exemplifies the principles of Agriburbia® and explores the possibilities of fully sustainable living in the modern age. ... The farm is solar powered and drip irrigation is used to efficiently and effectively water the crops, using much less water than a traditional landscape. All of the farm operations utilize minimally mechanized principles and bio-intensive layouts for efficient labor and production.

In today’s climate of soaring gas prices, international conflicts, concerns about food availability, quality and security, there are highly profitable opportunities emerging in sustainable land development. Agriburbia® re- integrates food production into the human habitat while engaging all the current sustainable development best practices. Agriburbia® achieves this by implementing an economic development model that considers not only transportation and shelter but food and nutritional supply as well.

Agriburbia® integrates food by focusing on agriculture as the centerpiece of both new and existing communities. This fully sustainable concept improves quality of life by combining the best aspects of rural living with the advantages of urban conveniences and culture. The result is improved agriculture, healthier people, enhanced sustainable development practices and the enrichment of the residents, tenants, and guests within these Agriburbia® mixed-use developments.

Additional Information

Agriburbia One success story was a 1/3 acre farm growing 6000 pounds of food in one year

Problem Motivation

Cities of all sizes are increasingly dependant on outside food sources.
Food deserts are rising.
Demand for fresh healthy food grown locally is increasing.