Solar Power for the Farm and Food Lab

Hello All,

My name is Ryan Yamauchi. I am raising funds to provide a regenerative solar power system for the Farm and Food Lab located at the Great Park in Irvine, CA. The Farm and Food Lab is operated by the non-profit organization Solutions for Urban Agriculture (SFUA) in partnership with the City of Irvine. After spending many hours at the Farm and Food Lab, I’ve witnessed their commitment to their mission. In the middle of the sprawling suburbia of Orange County, SFUA is an industry leader in transforming how the public understands its relation to food and the environment.

You may ask, what is so cool about the Farm and Food Lab? SFUA has created an incredibly unique place that can be duplicated and expanded upon. SFUA engages all age groups and backgrounds and strives to provide the public with tools to increase local food production through demonstrations, seed and propagation programs, and classes held at the farm. Farm and Food Lab embodies every buzzword associated with environmentalism: sustainability, organic, regenerative, and biodiversity, among others. The grounds are filled with over 400 different plant species, creating a biodiverse ecosystem free of herbicides and pesticides. The soil is noticeably rich, which can be observed by the taste in the produce grown at the site, nearly all of which goes to the local food bank. Their inputs to the soil are largely mulch, compost, and vermicompost. The vermicompost is provided through a partnership with another non-profit hosted onsite called WeCompost2.

Furthermore, SFUA caters to their visitors with numerous spaces to rest and enjoy nature hard at work. All of their chickens are named and housed in a great home with plenty of room to roam and graze. Most of the year, the grounds are graced with various butterflies, pollinators, and migratory birds. You can find as many as three bees on one of the passionfruit flowers hanging from the archways. Banana trees line the paths, leaving low-hanging fruit to be enjoyed. These are just a few examples of the endless list of awe-inspiring sights here.

With so many astonishing things that can be found in this space, it is hard to believe there is anything that it lacks. Unfortunately, that is the case as the Farm and Food Lab is without electricity. A lack of electricity results in generators needing to be used to hold classes and limits the opportunity for new installments to expand educational opportunities at the farm. With a bit of help from you, the Farm and Food lab can grow in a clean way, creating even more learning opportunities and the energy needed to increase food production.

The funds raised through this GoFundMe will purchase a large-scale solar array. This solar array will power the in-house educational classroom and a large-scale aquaponics system. With clean power, additional nutrition and gardening classes will become available. The aquaponics system will also provide the farm with a new educational piece for visitors and increase the weekly amount of produce delivered to local food banks. Lastly, the aquaponics system will generate enough fertilizer to make the Farm and Food Lab nearly 100% self-sufficient, which is the site's ultimate goal.

Please take this as an opportunity to mobilize positive change to combat many issues we face in our society. All donations are appreciated. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Ryan