A new farm that will live in Hartford’s North End is taking shape.
The goal is to end food insecurity in a food desert in the Hartford area. Levo International is leading the effort, teaming up with the City of Hartford, Hands-on Hartford and CarMax to make it all happen.
“So the idea is we’re moving past what we could consider gardening into farming," said Christian Heiden, founder and managing director of Levo International. “The goal is production rather than your traditional community garden model.”
Heiden said the overall goal is to end hunger and poverty. He believes fresh food options, employment at the farms, and easier access to the farms will help to do this. He added that a hydroponic farm as opposed to a community garden will produce more food.
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“It creates a sustainable solution to food deserts and poverty in areas like the North End of Hartford where these hydroponic systems are going to go. It will create thousands of pounds of fresh produce each year on property that would otherwise remain vacant and blighted, creating employment for local residents,” he explained.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil, and can include an aggregate substrate, or growing media, such as vermiculite, coconut coir, or perlite. Hydroponic production systems are used by small farmers, hobbyists, and commercial enterprises.”
About 150 volunteers from CarMax joined in with Levo International to make it all happen Thursday.
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“We have associates from Rhode Island, from Mass. and from New York that drove hours to get here just because of the importance of the event,” said Eddie Culbreath, regional vice president of CarMax in Boston.
Culbreath said this is a part of the company’s initiative to give back to the community. He said the company’s goal is to choose organizations that are most aligned with the interest of its employees.
“We strive to always make sure we align our efforts with what our associates are passionate about,” he explained. “It’s a result of a survey of hundreds of associates providing feedback saying that Levo International was the mission that we wanted to support today.”
The University of Hartford’s Nosh Food Pantry will also benefit from the community farm.
“It’s been a great resource but this partnership is really going to take it to the next level, make sure we have fresh food, fruits and vegetables for our students,” said Katie Kitchens, assistant vice president for Student Success at the University of Hartford.
Nosh was founded three years ago to assist students who were in need of food.
Kitchens said students are able to head to the pantry and get what they need as long as supplies last. The food farm will help provide more food for students who are in need.
“We know that students are coming to campus and they’re facing hunger and that’s not conducive to them pursuing their education and being able to focus on their studies. So, for us to be able to come in and provide that resource we knew that that was important,” Kitchens explained.
Heiden said Levo is still working with the city of Hartford on what the exact location will be for the hydroponic farm. He said they hope to install the systems created on Thursday by this fall.
