Shipping Container to Table
Near the Nigerian capital of Abuja, one young entrepreneur is revolutionizing urban farming.
Without any soil, Angel Adelaja of Fresh Direct has managed to convert abandoned shipping containers into sustainable urban farms for salad greens not native to Nigeria.
“We started with an empty plot and a lot of stress, but we just said we’d try, and it worked,” she told the BBC. “We are the first containerized farming in Africa.”
Adelaja’s team uses hydroponics to grow leafy greens utilizing only nutrient-infused water and LED lights. The process can yield crops year round, despite the Nigerian heat, and the greens are sold at prices lower than most imported produce.
There’s a social aspect to the initiative as well. Fresh Direct employs a team of young women and encourages young Nigerians to get their hands dirty in the agricultural sector.
“We need to get young people interested in agriculture,” Adelaja said. “We need to make agriculture cool and fun.”
Her team has experienced setbacks – like electricity blackouts and low water supplies – but remains steadfast in its mission to revolutionize urban farming.
“The aim really for us is to be able to show that on small pieces of land, you can still do sustainable urban farming,” Adelaja said.
Click here to check out Adelaja’s shipping-container farm
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