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Homesteading builds connections in Nashville
Homesteading builds connections in Nashville

Yahoo

time04-07-2025

  • Lifestyle
  • Yahoo

Homesteading builds connections in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — There's no one-size-fits-all for homesteading as more people are making it their mission from small towns to bigger cities. The lifestyle is growing communities from all walks of life right here in Nashville. Alisha Brown's little slice of heaven outside her home in East Nashville has farm fresh eggs in the backyard with peppers and greens steps from the kitchen and honey right from the source. 'We get the best of both worlds. We get the tourist town, the good eats, the entertainment, the shopping, all the things,' said Brown. 'But then I get to come home and, you know, and it doesn't seem like Broadway is right there, but it is.' Her love of gardening started with another love — her husband — and a little friendly competition. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More 'He grew the pepper, and I grew the tomato. At the time we were in Clarksville, went and got broken pallets for free from Rural King,' she recalled. 'Bought two $5 bags of dirt and seeds on food stamps.' Their small, simple start has grown to incorporate aeroponics, which is a method of growing plants without soil. 'As a real estate agent a lot of my clients want to purchase lots of land and I'm like no you can actually do a homestead in your backyard and this is a testament to what people can do,' said Donna Shepherd, a Realtor with Epique Realty. Shepherd and Brown say the lifestyle is building bonds between people from all walks of life and backgrounds. They gathered for a Nashville Black Women Homesteading meet-up last year spearheaded by LaShae Baugh. 'As African Americans, Black women, a lot of times, I think gardening and things in the dirt were associated with slavery, and it's been a stigma in our community, like, 'I'm not putting my hands in the dirt, because, you know, great, great, great grandmama was in that cotton field'. But they also used it to sustain their lives. They were their stories behind them, being in the ground, their stories are behind them, looking at herbs,' said Shepherd. Homesteading involves learning to do things on your own but it also creates connections and community. ⏩ 'The meetup was in Nashville,' Shepherd recalled. 'We had desserts, snacks, but most importantly, everyone brought in seeds or seedlings, and we all got together to tell our story. And then we all supported each other.' And this feeling is spreading. 'I've been doing this for a little while now, and I've definitely it has gone from a joke. 'Why are you doing that?' To 'tell me a little bit more',' said Brown. This is East Nashville. We're in a group chat, and somebody was saying, I think I saw your chicken. I'm like, No, it's not my chicken. I counted all mine.' More people are catching the homesteading bug in recent years. 'We're just like, one or two disasters away from not having those resources,' said Shepherd. 'So having knowing how to grow, knowing the land, I think, is very important.' In addition to the survival aspect there are benefits galore for your own family and community. Brown has a farmstand outside her home where she leaves items from her homestead and people share monetary donations to support her foster care journey. 'By its natural course, gardening is just something that is just so stress relieving. And so being in that space, and then it be doing it with someone, you know, it's just, there's nothing like it,' she said. She advises everyone do research before starting this lifestyle and then starting small with maybe some tomatoes. Check with the local ordinances in your area to see if you are eligible to host backyard chickens at your house. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Eeki Raises USD 7 Mn from Sixth Sense Ventures to Scale Climate-Resilient Farming
Eeki Raises USD 7 Mn from Sixth Sense Ventures to Scale Climate-Resilient Farming

Entrepreneur

time01-07-2025

  • Business
  • Entrepreneur

Eeki Raises USD 7 Mn from Sixth Sense Ventures to Scale Climate-Resilient Farming

The newly acquired funds will be strategically deployed to scale nationwide operations, enhance research and development, and roll out Eeki's advanced Gen 3 aeroponic growing chambers. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Agritech innovator Eeki has raised USD 7 million in fresh funding from Sixth Sense Ventures, marking a significant boost for the startup as it accelerates its mission of climate-resilient, sustainable farming. This funding round comes over three years after Eeki's last major raise and positions the company for aggressive expansion and technological advancement. The newly acquired funds will be strategically deployed to scale nationwide operations, enhance research and development, and roll out Eeki's advanced Gen 3 aeroponic growing chambers. These chambers use a nutrient-rich mist to nourish plant roots suspended in air, drastically reducing water usage and allowing year-round, pesticide-free cultivation — even on barren land. "This funding marks a pivotal moment in our journey toward scaling climate-resilient farming across India and abroad," said Abhay Singh, CEO and Co-founder of Eeki. "The introduction of aeroponics in our Gen 3 chambers represents a paradigm shift in precision agriculture. Our aim is to build a future-ready food system that thrives regardless of environmental challenges." Founded in 2018 by IIT Bombay alumni Abhay Singh and Amit Kumar, Eeki is based in Kota, Rajasthan. The startup builds and operates IoT-powered, climate-controlled aeroponic chambers that enable the sustainable, large-scale production of pesticide-free vegetables at costs comparable to conventional farming. Eeki collaborates with landowners to set up these chambers, turning even non-arable plots into productive farmland. The company's goal is to make nutritious, affordable, and locally-grown produce accessible to all, while addressing critical challenges like soil degradation, water scarcity, and food insecurity. With over USD 10 million raised in the last year alone, Eeki is fast emerging as a leading force in agritech innovation. "30% of our team is focused on improving core tech to maximise yield with minimal resources," said Amit Kumar, Co-founder of Eeki. "With Sixth Sense's consumer expertise, we aim to establish Eeki as a leader in both nutrition and origin." Nikhil Vora, Founder and CEO of Sixth Sense Ventures, added, "Eeki's breakthrough model has proven itself in India's toughest conditions. Abhay and Amit are building what could be the world's most efficient farming company — and we're thrilled to support them."

Going green and growing greens: This tech startup uses air to cultivate produce
Going green and growing greens: This tech startup uses air to cultivate produce

CBC

time17-05-2025

  • Business
  • CBC

Going green and growing greens: This tech startup uses air to cultivate produce

New farming product meant to sustainably grow herbs, vegetables and everything in between St. John's company Aera Farms is hoping to take the restaurant industry by storm — or mist. Aera's farming appliance, Victory, started with a Tupperware container and lights in Shawn and Amy Fisher's basement. Now, it looks much like a refrigerator. The product can grow leafy greens and root vegetables through aeroponics, meaning the roots are suspended in the air and are sprayed by mist. The husband and wife team say the method is a sustainable way to produce food at a constant rate. "You can grow more yield and variety than any other solution in a Victory farming appliance," said co-founder Shawn Fisher. The product's website says it can yield up to 64 kilograms of produce every month, if it's harvested every day. Amy Fisher says daily harvests are possible because the seed pods auto-germinate, powered by special software. The marketing expert said the software detects what nutrients the crops need, and adjusts the system's temperature and moisture accordingly. "You can grow lettuce from seed to harvest in 30 days in our units," she told CBC Radio's On The Go. Hitting the market Unlike its plants, the company didn't get to this point in a matter of days. It's been a side project for the couple for about ten years, and much of the design and fabrication still happens in their basement with the use of 3D printers. "Almost everything inside the unit Shawn has designed and printed as part of the prototype," Amy Fisher said. Help from investors and fellow entrepreneurs got them off the ground — and the Fishers have big dreams for Victory. "Over time, hopefully every kitchen in the world is going to have a farming appliance," Amy Fisher said, laughing. But for now, the pair is starting with Newfoundland and Labrador restaurants. They told CBC that Victory appliances are being sent to Piatto, Terre and the St. John's Convention Centre in the coming weeks. WATCH | The Victory aims to make fresh vegetables a triumphant reality: Media Video | Fresh produce grown indoors, all year. Meet the N.L. duo behind the aptly-titled appliance the Victory Caption: Could this kitchen appliance be as commonplace as a fridge in the future? Shawn and Amy Fisher, who are married and also co-founders of Aera, hope so. The Victory will soon be used in restaurants to grow fresh produce, but the duo told On the Go's Krissy Holmes they're hoping to make it a household staple. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Amy Fisher said the company holds a vision of sustainability in food production, which is very attractive to the restaurant industry. According to Aera's data, each Victory offsets about 87 litres of gasoline a year, and saves up to 127,000 litres of water. The going rate for one of the devices is about $20,000, but the company claims users can save up to $18,000 a year based on average distributor prices. "A lot of chefs and people are interested in diversifying the things they can grow," said Amy Fisher. "But if it's for cost, you're going to save a lot on the leafy greens and herbs." Shawn Fisher said the food produced by the appliance doesn't experience nutrient degradation because the roots are still attached when harvested. He calls it the "freshest food in the world."

Small vertical farms pick up where Big Tech faltered
Small vertical farms pick up where Big Tech faltered

Washington Post

time13-05-2025

  • General
  • Washington Post

Small vertical farms pick up where Big Tech faltered

At a greenhouse in Mesa, Arizona, nine-foot towers of tomatoes and cucumbers and other assorted vegetables reach skyward, bathed in diffused natural light. 'We can grow 10 times the food using 90 to 98 percent less water,' True Garden founder Troy Albright says as he walks past rows of butter lettuce, basil and softball-size fennel bulbs grown in a vertical aeroponic environment that recirculates nutrient-filled water from a reservoir to seedlings above. In one month, his farm produces 15,000 pounds of leafy greens.

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