Native Farms using Shipping Containers

Since Native American communities are extremely susceptible to food insecurity issues and want to control their own food sovereignty, we are proposing the use of Shipping Container Farms for year round produce production. The farm's pesticide free produce will allow for sustainable year round production of hundreds of varieties of leafy greens, many herbs, some edible flowers, and a few varieties of strawberries. This produce will be sold to the USDA for consumption in the Native school's Farm to Cafeteria Programs. After a successful evaluation period, we would like to introduce the farms to similar schools and communities on and off the reservations. 

In the United States, nearly 35 million citizens live within food deserts and suffer from food insecurity. The vast majority of those citizens are minorities or live in rural communities. Native communities have a disproportionately high rate of poverty, unemployment, and health related issues many due to a lack of access to fresh and nutritious vegetables. According to a recent government stats, about 15% of US household live food insecure, while Native Americans are  35% likely to be food insecure.  

 Our solutions use shipping container farms for Native Farm to Cafeteria programs. We want a four college pilot program using shipping container farms for the cafeteria program, for business entrepreneurship classes, for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) classes. We want a economic development program so that Native veterans can use shipping container farms and form a food hub to aggregate their produce and sell to both customers on and off the reservation. Our farming platforms are closed environments that use computer controls to monitor and dose the nutrient mixture so that the plants are fed the proper nutrient mix each watering cycle. Typically, the farmer simply seed the trays, set the computer for the specific produce, then monitor the farm until it is time to harvest. Small tweaks may be necessary from time to time.  

This shipping container farming is designed to benefit the Native youth through better food choices and a functioning demonstration lab. Native adults with enjoy living wages employment and business entrepreneurship through farm ownership. Older Natives will have a viable solution for growing food when they need it and close to where they live. The shipping container farm is user friendly and can be operated by almost any citizen.

The problem is assess to quality fresh produce in areas of food insecurity on or near the reservations. Our solution is to place shipping containers farms where they will have the greatest impact and have them operated by Natives who will earn a living wage. Our solution will benefit the Native communities with the creation of good jobs and inclusive entrepreneurship. We want Native boys and girls of all ages to participate. Come learn how to use this alternative farming practice to complement the traditional growing practices of the "three sisters". 

The use of shipping containers extend the farming season into a year round activity. The farm worker can work in optimum conditions no matter what mother nature is doing outside. We can scale the farm to support a small village, school, or even a large grocery chain like Bashas'. We are in a emerging commercial space that is seeing significant growth . As a matter of fact, we have established partnerships with three companies: CubicFarm Systems, FarmBox Foods, and ShipShape Urban Farms. Each offer a unique advantage and option for helping us develop the best farming solution for your needs. Freight Farm is a competitor that has a vertical grow platform much like FarmBox Foods. They have been in this space for 10 years and have pioneered some of the technology that make this farming practice sustainable.  

The core technology that powers the shipping container farms is a computer controlled dosing system that distributes the perfect blend of nutrients to a select crop. The farm makes use of high efficiency LED lights for illuminating the crop on a prescribed lighting cycle. In some cases, an assortment of red and blue only led lights are used. The system can be monitored and operated remotely using an APP. The proprietary software runs crop specific feeding and lighting cycles. The farms are classified as controlled environment agriculture (CEA) so pesticides or herbicides are not needed or use. We use organic practices but are not USDA organic certified. 

The shipping container farms are gaining wide spread use over a growing list of institutions, organizations, and companies. Each year, an increasing number high schools, colleges and universities are adding this fresh produce to their  menus. Grocery chains and restaurants are realizing the many benefits as well. The farms have a presents in the US, Canada, and Sweden.         

ShipShape Urban Farm Walk-Thru

Our solution give the Native community control over and the ability to grow hyper fresh and nutritious produce for their consumption or for resale. A genuine and attainable path to alleviating food insecurity in at their disposal with them being in control of it use. Give this solution to your Native youth and challenge them find ways to find new solutions for food sovereignty, step back and let them amaze you. 

Currently 0

In one years -7,000

In three years -50,000+

Our impact starts with student involvement at in the four colleges selected for our pilot program. Upon successful completion of the pilot, we will roll out to the other Native colleges. There are roughly 200 Native controlled elementary, middle, and high school whose students can benefit from replication of the ShipShape farms. We will seek funding for the expansion through the Native American Agriculture Fund, Native Economic Development Funds, or other available funding sources.

We have had several conversation with the farm developers and they agree the hardest obstacle to hurdle is establishing the first farm. They have stated once the first farm is operational, there clients soon return for either farm extension or to purchase another farm. They generally underestimate the amount of interest from customers and/or the volume of sales.

Our solution is meant to benefit the next seven generations of Natives youth and beyond. Therefore, the active involvement of college students in the pilot program is crucial. We are confident that this solution has great value and that Native youth can be our most influential ambassadors, if they are given a chance to work the farms.

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Tsosie, Lewis - President

Ron McCarden, VP of Business Development & Marketing

Tsosie Lewis, President of Greenstone AG Consulting, has many years of executive leadership. He is the past president of NAPI. 

Ron McCarden, VP of Business Development and Marketing, has over 25 years of operations, logistics, and sales management experience. He has successfully operated an expedited delivery and courier company. 

We have created a strategic alliance with the developer of three farming platforms to provide a broader more complete solution for the client.

We have a strategic partnership with CubicFarm Systems of Canada, FarmBox Foods of Colorado, and ShipShape Urban Farms of Alabama. We analyze and collaborate on the specific needs of the client and then present solutions to fit those needs. 

We are operating as a LLC.

Our Ag-tech farming platforms, can if implemented address several of the concern raised in your challenges. We see a mutually beneficial  interest in your challenge. But no matter how potentially beneficial the end results might be, it will not occur with out funding. 

Our partnership goal is for the individual colleges to assist in the operation and management of the farms on their campus. A college farm liaison will be selected to operate and/or manage the farm. We will generate revenue from the USDA through its Farm to Cafeteria Program. A revenue share model will be institute depending on the finance model.

I would like to partner with the Center for Rural Affairs, The Paul Newman Foundation, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux, and any of the other Native organization with a desire to eradicate food insecurity and hunger.  

The Commercial scale production of fresh produce would be a tremendous benefit to refugee camps around the globe. We would use the funds to start a marketing campaign to the International World Food Programme and the US based chapter of the World Food Programme.