Soil Health = Human Health = Environmental Health
Our integrated zero waste regenerative organic carbon neutral urban food production system produces the finest quality nutrient-dense produce on the planet, anywhere, anytime. There is no other urban food production system that offers all the benefits of the Alegría Farmacy which include:
1) Increased access to superior locally-grown produce including marginalized communities;
2) Dramatically strengthened community resilience and well-being;
3) Green jobs and training for new farmers in regenerative organic urban agriculture;
4) Environmentally friendly, scalable, modular and carbon neutral food production platform;
5) Cost effective zero waste regenerative urban farms anywhere, anytime.
What is the expected community impact?
An Alegría Farmacy in every community provides for the creation of specialized living-wage green jobs in urban agriculture, dramatically strengthens community health and resiliency and takes advantage of under-utilized land. A single module Alegría Farmacy encompasses less than 3,000 sq. ft. By repurposing land with scalable regenerative organic food production systems, we create a potent bioengine for economic growth and community well-being.
Today’s “ACCESS” to healing food and education is severely lacking
The way we eat in America and the general lack of phytoactivity, which are the living enzymes found in fresh, photon-rich nutrient-dense food, is missing in most food consumed today. We have become a disease care hostage because so many of our food choices contain “empty calories” loaded with bad fats, high salt and sugar and overly processed grains. This has led to a severe decrease in national health and wellness that is consistent throughout most of our population, especially marginalized communities. Our overall productivity falls as a result of not feeling well and suffering from chronic inflammation and the toxins we absorb every time we eat overly processed food.
Our overall gut health is declining rapidly, which explains the rise in brain diseases and just about every other auto-immune disease we face today, including diabetes, obesity, autism, cancer, pain, anxiety, depression, fatty liver and autism to name a few. The Alegría Farmacy helps to alleviate the “access to healing food” problem, one community at a time. It also provides a powerful educational tool to illustrate how we can solve our food problem while being conscious of the environmental aspects of carbon management.
Superior Healing Food
Our proven soil-based SoxxBoxx Gro System utilizes our Alegría Living Soil blend in an innovative, above-ground growing system using the finest organic inputs. See www.SoxxBoxx.com. What goes in directly affects what comes out. Over the past ten years, we have consistently produced the best tasting, freshly harvested produce that is significantly higher in nutrient density than any other produce. It’s just like what your grandmother grew!
Carbon Neutral Food Production
The Alegría Farmacy deploys modular design elements and integrated agri-tech processes with renewable energy systems that are scalable to create the most resource efficient food / energy / water production system available. To support our mantra of Soil Health = Human Health = Environmental Health, we deploy existing technologies to become very prudent carbon managers and not create more carbon that we produce. We are in essence, “carbon farmers” and “nutrition farmers” all in one very efficient carbon management package.
Increases Community Resilience, Stability and Green Jobs
Our integrated systems approach creates jobs, provides community resilience, reduces carbon footprints, strengthens urban biodiversity, and strengthens economic stability. Our Farmacy, led by our team of veterans, produces fresh, nutrient-dense, non-GMO, superior food products and generates surplus power & heat energy. Employing our ultra-efficient food production processes creates food security and energy independence to enrich local communities. Healing food goes a long way in helping to alleviate poverty and stress.
Climate Mitigation
Increased access to healthy, locally-grown food produced in Alegria’s organic toxin-free living soil also helps to mitigate climate change as well as some of the negative impacts and social consequences of urbanization. See www.AlegriaLivingSoil.com. Each 4’x8’ SoxxBoxx in the greenhouse contributes to methane avoidance of 5,664 lbs CO2e/tray and the carbon sequestered by our soil is 528 lbs CO2e/tray. Each standard Farmacy module deploys 88 trays.
Improves Physical and Mental Health
Providing greater access to superior plant-based food also improves physical and mental health by lowering blood pressure, and reducing obesity, diabetes and stress for example. The therapeutic effects of growing food calms and quiets, which research has shown can lower violent and petty crime, and provide a healing sanctuary for vets returning from war with PTSD for example. See www.AlegriaLiving.com
Carbon Neutral Waste to Energy
Sun grown produce in a greenhouse is also far less carbon intensive than indoor growing because we do not depend on high capital, carbon intensive lighting, we simply use the sun and it’s “best-in-class” full spectrum energy.
Anaerobic Biodigester
Our integrated Impact Bioenergy anaerobic biodigester solves another huge issue. Reducing carbon emissions. When organics are being diverted to landfills, methane and nitrous oxide are released. The methane release from landfills is driving urban greenhouse gas release at a rate of 19 times faster than CO2, so methane is a major contributor to climate change in addition to CO2 and NO2. NO2 is almost 300 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2. Our integrated anaerobic biodigester is designed to digest 150 lbs/day of organics and can be expanded to digest over 900 lbs/day if required. The organic waste is converted to soil amendments and methane (natural gas) that we capture and use. The methane captured can be used to heat water or generate electricity, making it a closed loop zero waste system that turns organic waste into energy and fertilizer.
Solar Array and Battery Storage
Our standard Farmacy also includes a 10kW solar panel array and an advanced SimpliPhi Power battery storage bank, making our food production system its own energy supplying bioplant that can be off-grid right in the middle of the urban environment where people live and work.
Environmental Cooling
The Alegría Farmacy greenhouse absorbs heat and uses it to grow plants. This reduction in overall heat helps to cool the surrounding environment, lowering the “heat island” effect.
Property Value Increase
Our innovative food production system is socially and environmentally sustainable and provides numerous benefits in every community where it is deployed. Our Farmacy attracts agri-tourism and green business and provides a great place to convene to share food and relax.
Workforce Development
Working with Bank of America and the Second Harvest Food Bank, the Alegría team is collaborating with influential organizations to provide training in green living wage jobs throughout the communities where Alegría Farmacies are deployed. We are currently employing vets and looking at how we may include the homeless population to become valuable contributors to their communities.
Food Justice, Social Justice and Environmental Justice
Most importantly, our team at Alegria is committed to “raising all boats” and we have designed a food production system that takes this into account. We strive to promote food justice, social justice and environmental justice in every aspect of what we do.