Shannon O'Malley discovered hydroponics when she relocated from Pennsylvania to Florida, where traditional gardening methods failed her. Frustrated by the harsh climate, she transformed her garage into a hydroponic garden that yielded an abundance of produce, so much that she began sharing with her community. This simple start would grow into Brick Street Farms, a hydroponic farm that generated $2.5 million in revenue in 2024.

What began with 3 shipping containers has evolved into a 20-container operation, equivalent to a 70-acre traditional farm. Brick Street Farms specializes in general hydroponics, growing leafy greens and microgreens, supplying both local consumers and restaurants while maintaining wholesale partnerships with stores. Their controlled environment ensures chemical-free, pest-free produce that meets the highest quality standards.

Our farm is a 40-foot refrigerated container (which takes up 320 sqft) that has been converted into a hydroponic smart farm. Our container translates to two acres of traditional farmland. What sets us apart is that we are practicing Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), which allows a grower to reduce the incidences of pests or disease, increase overall efficiency, and save resources. We utilize hydroponic growing systems to ensure that the plants receive optimal nutrients and water needed to produce an ample crop.

The entire process of CEA focuses on making the most of space, labor, water, energy, nutrients, and capital to operate while still producing a bountiful harvest.

Our global food systems are under siege, with climate change, natural disasters disrupting supply chains, and conflicts affecting agriculture in vulnerable regions. Add to that a booming population—set to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050—and the math becomes startling. Experts predict we'll need 70% more food to sustain humanity.

But, here's the problem – soil quality is deteriorating fast, and we're on track to lose most of the fertile ground we rely on. Traditional farming methods, while vital, seem ill-equipped to meet the challenge alone.

Urban vertical farming has emerged as an innovative solution – by growing crops in stacked layers within highly controlled environments, these systems use less land, water, and pesticides – with shipping containers offering a sustainable, space-efficient answer to the global food crisis.

The Urban Farming Initiative (UFI) and the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation are thrilled to announce a new partnership aimed at revitalizing and coordinating urban gardens in the Walnut Hills neighborhood. Through this collaboration, UFI will work closely with garden coordinators, volunteers, and community leaders to enhance the gardens' output, while also providing support for local events and programs.

As part of this initiative, Ben Booker, UFI's Executive Director, will lead the project. A University of Cincinnati graduate with an urban agriculture certificate, Booker brings extensive expertise in urban agriculture and community development.

The farmers haven’t stopped growing — or experimenting. Demler’s latest project is culinary mushrooms. He and his team of five produce 50 to 60 pounds of mushrooms a week.

“We had no clue where this was going to go,” Demler said. “We had no idea what was going to come, and I like to think that hopefully, we still don’t know what’s to come yet.”

The program recently launched a shipping container farm, added edible landscaping to its fair displays and partnered with a Texas A&M AgriLife facility for outdoor growing.

On top of feeding the community, Big Tex Urban Farms is also an educational hub. It just finished its second year with a cohort of local high schoolers. The class spends six months training in urban farming and hydroponics.

Hydroponically grown plants are lining the shelves at Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, thanks to a new partnership between the food pantry and a Castine-based nonprofit hydroponic farm called the Good Table Foundation.

Hydroponic plants are grown without soil. At the Good Table Foundation, they are grown in a 40-foot shipping container on a rotational basis, so the produce can be harvested and delivered to Loaves and Fishes each week throughout the year.

Production facilities for the course include a Freight Farm, a 350-square-foot shipping container that will serve as a controlled environment greenhouse. When the Freight Farm is installed, it will be capable of growing the same amount of leafy greens as 1.5 to 2 acres, Kopsell said. Plans are to sell the produce to Campus Dining. 

“It’s amazing that you can have all that production right here,” he said.

Whether it’s a community garden or fully-dedicated land near a dense, city center, urban farming has surged in popularity in recent years. These farms impact local communities by providing education about climate change, food security, biodiversity, pollinators and nutrition.

Urban agriculture contributes between 15% and 20% of the global food supply, according to the USDA. This can help cities be more equitable because it creates easier access to fresh produce.

Julian Jacobs is the owner of Adrina Farms, which is located in Uptown Charlotte at the Innovation Barn. His farm is a hyperlocal, hydroponic farm where they grow lettuce, leafy green and root vegetables inside a 320-square-foot indoor space.

Prospective GROW dwellers, Archinect detailed, can choose from 20 residential setups ranging from minimalist studios to expansive townhouses. The variety is intentional, meant to attract a diverse milieu, including "young professionals, students, and families with children."

Per Archinect, community members receive plentiful access to "activated social spaces" like GROW's signature rooftop urban farm — where residents can help with planting, maintenance, or even the assembly and weekly sale of harvest baskets.

There will be an app where people can join a rideshare group or ride the nearest available Bubblic Public. That is where you can also hail one for your delivery or smart farm purposes and the vehicle will be transformed according to your need. It is an interesting concept and one that we may actually see in the near future. Maybe eventually there will be even be a flying bubble so it will stay true to its name.

At Sananbio, we're committed to revolutionizing agriculture through indoor vertical farming. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our valued customers and supportive peers for their trust and encouragement.

The community farm’s headquarters is located in West L.A. in a similarly space-saving location – inside a shipping container at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. “It’s pretty remarkable. It’s the equivalent of two and a half acres of outdoor production inside one shipping container, using about 90% less water and 95% less land,” Levy said.

Freight farming has many benefits compared to traditional farming, especially in cities. These small, self-contained units can be placed in various locations like parking lots and rooftops, making them versatile for urban agriculture.

Among the selected projects is The Orange Loop Container Park, an ambitious plan to transform a vacant lot into a thriving hydroponic farm and community space using repurposed shipping containers

Hypercell Technologies of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, was named the $1 million grand prize winner of the fifth annual Grow-NY Food and Agriculture business competition. Six other winners split a combined $3 million in awards

The future of farming is here. High-tech indoor vertical farms are sprouting up beneath our city buildings and taking over unused CBD real estate. Just a chip’s throw from Crown Casino in Melbourne’s Southbank, a former BMW showroom has been transformed into a productive farm

But BIPOC urban farmers continue to face unique challenges—including inequitable access to land and loans

Glenn Behrman, President of CEA Advisors, is a 50-year veteran of the horticulture industry. He and Franchesca became friends a few years ago when they unsuccessfully attempted to place a Growtainer next to Dive Coastal in Snider Plaza

Vana is an Agri-tech company based in Bangkok, Thailand, which specializes in software engineering at its core

This video outlines the major projects our Crop Research, Training, and Support teams have been working on to benefit both new and veteran growers, as well as what we have in store for later in the year