We were recently in Portugal setting up a vertical farm featuring 40 aeroponics towers inside a prison, where we worked hand-in-hand with the prisoners as well as the guards of the penitentiary to set up this aeroponic farm that will be managed by the prisoners themselves.
This vertical farm is designated for prisoners that are in the last year of a long-term incarceration sentence and provides an opportunity to rehabilitate these individuals while helping them reintegrate into society upon their release.
This aeroponic farm will produce approximately 1800 plants per month for the chefs of the prison to use and they will be growing all kinds of leafy greens and herbs including lettuce, cilantro, basil, chard, spinach, and more.
This project was implemented by our clients known as UpFarming which is a nonprofit organization based in Lisbon where they are committed to providing sustainable agricultural solutions in urban environments as well as prisons and schools throughout Portugal.
Together, we spent two days installing the entire farm with the prisoners including the assembly of 40 aeroponic towers, the installation of the automated irrigation and nutrient dosing system, the preparation of the nutrient solution as well as a creating a comprehensive planting strategy in order to ensure that there is always a continuous rotation of crops on the tower.
