Massachusetts faces high levels of food insecurity, at a whopping 34% according to the Greater Boston Food Bank. To add onto this is the impossible task of finding fresh, affordable produce in urban areas like Boston. There is also a severe lack of hands-on STEM education in urban areas. After all, being cooped up in a classroom is no way to learn about the real world. Furthermore, student anxiety is on the rise, and students have few outlets to de-stress during the school day,
The Freight Farm, a hydroponic farm within a shipping container, masterfully addresses all these issues. With the ability to grow roughly 500 heads of lettuce week, the farm is able to provide both food banks and students' families with fresh produce every week. The farm can also be used in school curricula to learn about agriculture, botany, engineering, and more. The ability to do hands-on work in a calming green space such as the farm also provides the perfect outlet for anxious students during studies and after school.
