Through its Director of Operations, Noah Zelkind, 80 Acres Farms found itself in the spotlight at the UN headquarters in New York. A few days ago, the UN organized a presentation of student projects from several countries (Thailand, Singapore, the United States, etc.). The roots of the American company's involvement lie in a project by two American students, Jack and Thomas, seniors at Butler Tech Ross High School in Ohio. For years, the two friends worked closely with several local stores and producers to donate unused fresh produce to people in need.
"The team at 80 Acres Farms was really among the first to see something bigger in us than what we ourselves were aiming for," said one of the two high school students. They met with Noah Zelkind several times to discuss the development of their global supply chain, which now provides fresh food to people in need through more than 100 partner organizations across the United States and South Korea.
Noah Zelkind supported Jack and Thomas's project, then took advantage of the platform to present 80 Acres Farms, which now offers its products throughout the United States. This spotlight provided an opportunity to discuss the growing barriers facing traditional agriculture, which is struggling to keep pace with global demographic changes. "Our existing food systems simply cannot meet the needs of the future and our ever-changing world, " he said.
One of the ideas put forward is to shift our consumption patterns towards vertical farms, which can produce 2,500 crop cycles (from seed to harvest) per year, compared to around 50 for conventional agriculture, while producing 300 times more per square meter. Farms such as 80 Acres Farms offer fresh, healthy food grown without pesticides and using 95% less water than traditional crops. Growing crops indoors on these farms means that food can be packaged immediately, drastically increasing its shelf life.
