Can you imagine producing 1 MILLION pounds of food, 10,000 fish, and 500 yards of compost on just three acres of land?
‘Growing Power,’ an urban agriculture organization headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, does just that.
Milwaukee is very cold and the growing season is very limited. However, ‘Growing Power’ grows food year-round with the help of its ultra-efficient greenhouse system. The farm grows a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and also farms tilapia and perch.
Will Allen, a former professional basketball player, is the founder of Growing Power. He was awarded the MacArthur Foundation $500,000 “Genius Grant” for his work on urban farming and sustainable food production.
How He Managed to do the Same
Will Allen came up with the aquaponics system. In this system, fish and plants are grown together, with fish waste providing an organic food source for the growing plants and the plants provide a natural filter for the water the fish live in.
Compost power is used to heat the greenhouse. This energy-efficient process not only provides heat to the greenhouses but also provides fertile soil for growing high-quality vegetables and fruits.
