Affordable Greenhouses: Improving Livelihoods While Fostering Food Security And Sustainability

Reflecting the rising global food security challenges, over 60% of the East African population is considered malnourished with many regions in a state of famine. Greenhouses can help farmers increase their yields and improve their livelihoods while reducing spoilage and furthering food security. Our team is collaborating with diverse Kenyan and Tanzanian organizations to design, prototype, and field-test affordable greenhouses designed for small agro-enterprises and sustenance farmers. The basic hypothesis is that growing fruits and vegetables in the affordable greenhouses will help regions with cold climates and arid / semi-arid climates to grow food for their local needs while reducing cost and environmental impacts. This model of improved local food production has a longer growing season and provides steady year-round while greatly reducing water, nutrient, land and transportation energy requirements. This significantly reduced water budget for agricultural production directly results in more food, improved livelihoods and food security, while furthering sustainability. Our technological innovation is design for extreme affordability and sustainability. The greenhouses will be designed to be manufactured for less than $250 and reduce water usage by at least 30%.