The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) training center in Colorado Springs has significantly upgraded its food and nutrition program through a partnership with Babylon Micro-Farms. What began as a single installation has rapidly expanded to three units, providing athletes with a consistent supply of fresh, hyper-local produce.

This collaboration allows the training center to grow nutrient-dense greens and microgreens on-site, taking the guesswork out of traditional farming. Executive Chef Nick Lachman highlights the immediate impact, with produce going "from the farm" directly to the salad bar, enhancing the visual appeal and flavor of dishes. Red sorrel and microgreens for smoothies, particularly raspberry basil, have been singled out as athlete favorites.

With sleeves rolled up and gloves on, young students at Redford Union Schools are growing leafy greens that show up later in the lunchroom as kids learn science, responsibility and even some healthy habits along the way.

Thanks to a new hydroponics program launched this year at both Hilbert and Beech elementary, the district's elementary STEAM classes are growing lettuce without soil – just water, light, curiosity and lots of smiles.

The project began in January with sixth graders planting the first crop of romaine lettuce. Since then, students in first through sixth grade have gotten involved in everything from monitoring the hydroponic system to harvesting.

The high school biology curriculum has changed significantly from what Charles Cooper said he was taught roughly 15 years ago. 

“It was pretty much plants, matter and fossils,” Cooper, who is on the verge of finishing the Mastery Charter School’s teaching residency program, told TAPinto Camden. “We never even expanded or talked about growing, farming, or anything of that sort.“

Cooper said a new classroom within Mastery High School of Camden that includes a hydroponics lab, propagation racks for breeding specimens and vertical hydroponic farms for growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid will be his workspace in the 2025-26 school year and will expand on the ‘that sort.’

What’s happening inside a lab at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville offers a resilient alternative to food supply issues, while educating students at the same time. The hydroponics lab, located in Glenview Commons, is a shining example of how new measures can be implemented to meet the need for sustainable, local food production. The student-run facility which opened in 2019, serves as a living classroom where they can explore innovative farming methods and contribute to the future of agriculture.

Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ), a nonprofit working to combat food insecurity through youth-led urban farming, celebrated the launch of a new hydroponic farm at M.S. 053 in Far Rockaway on April 24, expanding its Far Rockaway Farm Hub and giving hundreds of students hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture and STEM education.

The 1,040-square-foot indoor farm is designed to produce more than 5,600 pounds of pesticide-free produce each year. More than 500 students will benefit from the fresh food grown on-site, with over 100 students annually participating directly in hands-on learning about sustainable agriculture, food justice, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

A Kent farm shop has turned to technology to sell local produce out of hours.

The Old Tractor Shed Farm Shop in Brookland has installed three vending machines which continue to offer a range of products when the main business is closed.

Visitors can pay for milk, pickles, meats, fruit juices and fresh vegetables sourced from suppliers on The Romney Marsh by tapping their bank cards and smart phones.

Co-owner Deborah Ovenden said: "This enables us to extend our hours to offer local produce to a wide range of people such as dog walkers and cyclists early in the morning when the shop is not open.

"There's not many shops in the area so it's also useful for people in the evening coming home from work."

Fresh research from The University of Queensland (UQ) could help apartment dwellers enjoy a backyard garden in their own flat and a year-round harvest of fruit and vegetables.

UQ School of Architecture, Design and Planning PhD student Thi Thanh Nhan An is bridging the gap between architecture and agriculture with prototype garden systems that integrate urban farming and apartment design.

Her prototype gardens are a greenhouse, a semi-greenhouse and a vertically integrated indoor farm designed to fit inside a city apartment or on a balcony.

Crucially, An’s project is already bearing fruit.

“I cannot forget the moment when I opened the door and smelt the basil and saw the colour of the purple radish or the green lettuce under the light,” said An, describing an early foray into her prototype greenhouse.

“Hopefully everyone in the city can have their own farming space in their living space in the future.”

Modoc High School AG students have officially completed their first harvest using a hydroponic tower installed in Mrs. Bickford’s (DeMoss) classroom. The tower was funded through a “Grants for Growing” project she applied for last fall.

“Luckily, they were awarded the grant to purchase the tower and supplies so that they could expose students to hydroponic systems and grow their own food beyond the Ag Dept. Greenhouse.”

At the start of the spring semester, horticulture students planted green leaf and romaine lettuce seeds into rockwool flats. “Being this was the first attempt with the tower, they only planted one tray of seeds so that they could understand how the tower and process fully works.” In photos, Josh Minto is seen watering the seeds, and Eliza Peña reads the seed packages to understand their growing requirements.

The students harvested nearly 50 pounds of fresh lettuce, grown inside the school using the Flex Farm hydroponic system from Fork Farms.  Winona Area Public Schools says this is the first set-up of its kind in the state and allows Winona students to grow close to 200 pounds of fresh lettuce each month for the school's salad bar in the cafeteria.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in nutrient-rich water instead of soil and Winona Area Public Schools says it provides numerous benefits for student engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills by combining hands-on experimentation in real-world farming scenarios.  FFA Officer & Farm Manager, Miriam Jackson, and school's nutrition staff have been maintaining these Flex Farms learning valuable lifelong skills as they test pH levels, manage nutrient levels, and examine crop cycle management.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction recently embarked on an exciting journey with its new Fork Farms Flex Farm hydroponic grow tower. On January 13, 2025, the first lettuce seeds were planted, which were ready for transplanting into the tower by February 3. Throughout February, the seedlings grew into mature lettuce, and by March 3, the first harvest was ready! The freshly grown lettuce was served at the WI DPI School Nutrition Team’s monthly meeting and potluck—where it received rave reviews.

The hydroponic adventure didn’t stop there! The lettuce regenerated throughout March and on March 31, the Flex Farm was showcased at the Wisconsin State Capitol for a special Farm to School event. Visitors were invited to explore the grow tower and take home free lettuce and bean seed packets, branded with the Wisconsin Farm to School logo.

The 6,762-passenger MSC World EuropaⓇ currently docked in Doha, Qatar is introducing a new restaurant concept, branded the Chef’s Garden Kitchen,  which is a Babylon Micro-FarmsⓇ powered hydroponic garden at sea with herbs, greens and garnishes grown onboard. 

Michelin-starred chef, TV personality and author Niklas Ekstedt has collaborated with MSC Cruises to design the menu for the specialty restaurant Chef’s Garden Kitchen, focussing on the natural ingredients and a farm-to-ocean ethos. Born in Sweden, the son of a produce seller, Niklas Ekstedt began his strong connection with nature and the Earth’s flavours at a young age. This new restaurant will feature the first-at-sea hydroponic micro-farm in the world and guests will be treated to a uniquely immersive experience with the master chef preparing Ekstedt’s extraordinary creations in an open kitchen against a backdrop of panoramic sea views.

Addressing seafarers’ long-standing need for fresh vegetables as they undertake long voyages across oceans, shipping companies have for the first time installed technology-driven vegetable growing units on board merchant ships. The move has ushered in a quiet revolution in the maritime world, transforming both the meals and morale of the crew.

“It’s been a game changer for us at sea. The units ensure a continuous supply of fresh greens, requiring minimal maintenance from the crew while significantly enhancing onboard nutrition. For vegetarians, especially, this is a breakthrough — fresh salads and herbs have always been a luxury on long voyages, as I have witnessed first-hand over the last 30 years of my career at sea,” said Captain Rajesh K Verma, Master of the Synergy Marine group-managed Aframax tanker ‘Effie Maersk’. Four of Synergy’s merchant ships – 90 per cent of its 28,000-plus seafarers are Indian – had these hydroponics units installed last year.

SBU Eats has introduced a new micro-farm at East Side Dining. The “Cultivated Cabinet” brings a fresh and sustainable approach to dining at Stony Brook University.

This innovative initiative provides students with hyper-local produce grown just steps away from where it’s served. By integrating fresh greens and herbs into daily menus, the micro-farm enhances the dining experience while promoting environmental responsibility and food transparency.

An eye-catching 12-storey tower is transforming the city centre’s skyline, built and joined onto the former Woolworths store, ‘stepping up’ the building away from Oxford Street to the rear at Picton Yard.

The project is set to be complete in July, with works now around 70% finished. It will house roughly 120 residents, 350 people working in the commercial office spaces, plus ground floor businesses, an exhibition space, and education zone.

The development will feature a vertical urban farm, a five-storey green house which will produce crops and vegetables, a display aquarium, and a ‘biophilic walkway’.

It will use alternative energy sources, such as smart devices to monitor and help understand consumption levels and ecological footprint, communal residential spaces at rooftops and greenhouses, and the incorporation of greenery on balconies, and art throughout the building.

Babylon Micro-Farms, the leader for on-site indoor farming with over 300 micro-farms across 40 states and 5 countries, today announced the appointment of Marc Oshima as its new Chief Executive Officer, following an in-depth search process. 

“I am delighted to have been appointed CEO to lead Babylon Micro-Farms and build on the original vision of the founders Alexander Oleson and Graham Smith to simplify on-site indoor farming and provide more access to good food,” commented Marc Oshima. “

A local indoor farming company is growing its inventory with the unveiling of a new product with a lower price tag. 

Scott’s Addition-headquartered Babylon Micro-Farms recently introduced its Galleri Lite Micro-Farm, a new iteration of its flagship Galleri Micro-Farm – an automated indoor vertical farm that the company introduced in late May 2022. 

Although it has the same dimensions, plant space and hardware as the original Galleri product, Galleri Lite has removed some technical complexity of the original and comes with a much lower price tag.

Differences include taking away the remote management features from the original Galleri Micro-Farm, which is used to grow food for consumption and is targeted at universities, corporate cafeterias and senior living facilities that want on-site greens options for their menus.

New York City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. presented a $175,000 check to PS 811X: The Academy for Career and Living Skills, in the South Bronx for the school’s new hydroponic classroom.

The check was presented as Salamanca joined students, teachers, parents and faculty at PS 811X for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of the new hydroponic lab. Also on hand for the ceremony were members of the nonprofit New York Sun Works, which builds state-of-the-art hydroponic classrooms.

Students at the school will use the new lab to learn about and conduct experiments related to hydroponics, which involves growing plants with water-based nutrient solutions instead of soil.

Fork Farms, an innovator in food access technology, is proud to announce a new partnership with HPS LLC, a Delaware not-for-profit limited liability company that works to strengthen communities by helping its members fulfill their missions.

This two-year agreement, effective February 1, 2025, through January 31, 2027, brings @HPS’ member institutions access to sustainable, hyper-local food production. The HPS reference contract number is 1080 and will reflect the most current pricing and availability.

HPS' membership is made up of more than 4,900 organizations in 36 states. Membership includes: hospitals, medical groups, senior living facilities, schools and educational groups, senior nutritional feeding programs, county governments, religious organizations, camps, jails, and more.