In urban areas, and certainly in Atlanta, there are many families who don't have access to fresh produce due to the the lack of local grocery stores and farmer's markets. These areas are commonly called Food Deserts. We're partnering with Maurice Small, a manager of urban farms and teacher of urban farming in Atlanta, to give nanofarms to families living in these Food Deserts. Your pledge will back the donation of one nanofarm and a 2 year supply of plant pads to a family lacking access to fresh food. We'll be delivering the unit in person, so there's no need to pay for shipping.
From January 2016 until just a few weeks ago, 30 nanofarms have been put through their paces in the homes of our beta testers. Each beta tester has had the chance to harvest between 2-4 crops of produce, and they are very happy with the results. See what two of our beta testers had to say below.
While the beta testers agree the nanofarm does a great job growing food, they had lots of helpful criticism that led to the added features you see in the production model:
A tinted glass door - so the grow light doesn't light up your whole house
A tray that holds more water - so you have more time to harvest
An indicator light - so you know when to harvest
A splash guard for the tray – so it is easier to carry from the sink to the nanofarm
Aside from those added features and some changes in materials used for the frame, the production model is the same as the beta model.
imple to use: There are only two controls on the nanofarm: the weeks dial and the start button. To start a grow cycle, turn the weeks dial to the number indicated on the plant pad and push start. The harvest light turns on when your plants are ready to eat. It's that easy.