The New York City Correction Department is launching a program that will train incarcerated individuals in vertical farming, with the goal of producing gourmet food for jail cafeterias and equipping inmates with marketable skills for their release. The department has awarded an annual contract of nearly $230,000 to FarmBox Foods, a Colorado-based company, to implement the initiative at Rikers Island and other city jails.
The program aims to revitalize the department's Workforce Development Unit by introducing innovative trades like urban agriculture, community gardening, and culinary arts. According to a public notice from the Correction Department, the objective is to provide individuals in custody with skills that are "felony friendly" and directly applicable to reducing recidivism upon release.
Vertical hydroponic farming, a method where crops are grown in stacked vertical layers without soil, will be taught. In this system, plant roots are supplied with water and nutrients through a circulating solution, and LED lights provide illumination for indoor growth. FarmBox Foods' controlled-climate units, housed in shipping containers, can grow over 7,000 plants simultaneously, including leafy greens, herbs, and small vegetables. This method is noted for its efficiency in water usage and its ability to produce food locally, thereby reducing food miles and potential supply chain disruptions.
FarmBox Foods has prior experience with similar programs, having established a vertical farm at the Coleman Low Federal Correctional Institution in Florida. The company states that its farms produce high volumes of nutritious food and prepare adults in custody for release by equipping them with skills that can benefit their communities and lower the likelihood of reoffending.
The Correction Department views this as a significant expansion of its existing therapeutic horticulture program. Commissioner Stanley Richards, who himself was previously incarcerated at Rikers, supports the expansion and has visited the current outdoor gardens tended by inmates. The contract with FarmBox Foods is for one year, with an option to renew, and the company is identified as the sole manufacturer of its proprietary products, all of which are designed, engineered, and fabricated in the United States. The department concluded that engaging FarmBox Foods as a sole-source provider was in the city's best interest.
This initiative is being rolled out as the Rikers Island jail complex is slated for eventual phase-out and replacement by new borough-based jails over the next five years.