An organization called “Freight to Plate,” is the first container farm operator in Chicago and works closely with non-profit and for-profit organizations to bring food solutions to communities in need through sustainable agriculture techniques. Specifically, Freight to Plate has worked closely with the non-profit organization, By The Hand Club for Kids, to implement the sustainable container farm at their location in Altgeld Gardens. 

  Food scarcity has been a historical challenge in Altgeld Gardens where the median income is less than $9,000. Additionally, public transportation offers no direct routes to the nearest grocery store, meaning access to fresh food can take up two hours for those that do not have a car. 

   Freight to Plate and By The Hand Club for Kids have partnered to find a solution to this food scarcity by opening up Bowen Harvest, a hydroponic farm inside a 500 square foot shipping container. At a full container, Bowen Harvest can produce approximately 4,000 heads of lettuce in one cycle, meaning that in a full year the farm can produce roughly four acres of produce. It is estimated a total of one ton of fresh food will be produced annually. 

   By repurposing used shipping containers, this large amount of food is able to be produced without the environmental consequences that come along with conventional agriculture (damage from clearing land, habitat destruction, soil health deterioration, chemical usage, water runoff, etc.). In terms of sustainable water usage, less water is needed to vertical farm and a large portion of it is recycled. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used so water runoff from the container farm will not contaminate the surrounding areas. Finally, the container farm produces food for the local area. This limits the amount of greenhouse gases and waste emitted from needing to transport the crops. Overall, this farm is an example of what the future of farming may become!