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As food prices remain high and access to fresh produce continues to challenge many Kansas City neighborhoods, the University of Missouri-Kansas City is turning Flarsheim Hall into a working farm.
What started as a single hydroponic growing system in the hall has grown into a USDA-NIFA-funded initiative to develop a controlled-environment agriculture certification program. The program is a collaboration between UMKC, the University of Missouri, Kansas State University and Kansas State University Olathe.
Angie Cottrell, UMKC's director of research and institute programs, said urban growing environments offer a smaller footprint with a bigger community impact.
"Understanding that this is really a huge need, and especially in urban environments where we can make such a smaller footprint when it comes to what we grow and how we grow it," Cottrell said.
More than 180,000 people in the Kansas City metro area face food insecurity, according to a 2023 United Way of Greater Kansas City report. Cottrell said growing food closer to the urban core could give more people access to fresher produce at a lower cost.
"By the time you get it, it could be five, six days old, versus growing here in your own backyard in Kansas City, we can literally harvest this lettuce, wash it, clean it, and get it out on the shelves within 30 minutes," Cottrell said.
UMKC business student Jackie Gildo is spearheading the project alongside Cottrell. Gildo said watching students pick up lettuce from the campus pantry showed her the real-world difference the program could make.
"Seeing, like, oh, wow, this really is a need. I think that's like the fruits of the work coming into life," Gildo said.
Gildo and Cottrell have also seen success growing strawberries, tomatoes, and herbs through the hydroponic system. They think the results prove the concept can scale beyond the university.
"Even just this small six by six footprint to produce like 200 pounds of lettuce, I think that's just a proof that this concept can work," Gildo said.
The indoor hydroponic system is now the center of UMKC's new agriculture certificate program launching this fall.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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