Designing for Resilience: Building Tools for Real People, Not Just Ideal Conditions
Building for the Real World When I started designing my aeroponic farming towers—what eventually became SkyGrow—I wasn’t working in a lab. I was working in my backyard. That distinction has shaped everything I’ve done since. The backyard is full of surprises. The pump clogs. The sun doesn’t shine as long as you need. A curious […]
Teaching Food Sovereignty: What I’ve Learned from Community Workshops
Why I Started Teaching When I first built my aeroponic growing system, SkyGrow, I wasn’t planning to teach anyone. I just wanted to grow food in a smarter way—something clean, compact, and efficient. But it didn’t take long before people started asking questions. Friends. Neighbors. Teachers. Restaurant owners. They’d see the towers in my backyard […]
Food Deserts and Vertical Farms: A Local Solution to a National Problem
A lot of people think access to fresh food is a given. But in many neighborhoods across America, it’s not. I live in Fort Worth, Texas, and I’ve seen it firsthand. There are entire parts of the city where you can’t find a single grocery store within walking distance. Fast food chains are everywhere, but […]
Keep It Simple: Why Simplicity Beats Smart Tech in Urban Farming
When I first got into urban farming, I did what a lot of people do—I assumed that the more advanced the technology, the better the results. I bought sensors, timers, cloud-connected monitors, and all the other gear that promised to “revolutionize” my garden. But after enough failed harvests, water-logged systems, and software bugs, I realized […]