S8E97: Alaric Overbey / GreensideUp - Tackling Food Deserts & Feeding Underserved Communities

Episode Summary

Join Alaric Overbey, Director of GreensideUp Farm, as he discusses the transformative potential of vertical farming in addressing food security issues in underserved communities. Through his experiences in traditional farming and his passion for education, Alaric shares valuable insights on healthy eating habits and the innovative micro-farm model developed by GreensideUp Farm. Discover how education, community involvement, and partnerships with local organizations and grocery stores play a vital role in creating a more equitable food system. This eye-opening podcast episode sheds light on the power of vertical farming as a tool for positive societal change and provides inspiration for those interested in sustainable and equitable food systems.

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Key Takeaways

• Discover how Alaric Overbey and Greenside Up Farm are tackling food security issues through vertical farming technology.
• Learn about the innovative micro-farm model that strategically places farms close to the demand for fresh produce.
• Explore the importance of education and community involvement in addressing food access challenges.
• Find out how Greenside Up Farms partners with grocery stores to provide fresh produce directly on their shelves.
• Gain insights into the Local Feed Purchase Program and its impact on local farmers and the community.
• Uncover the transformative project of converting a produce unfriendly grocery store into a vertical grocery farm.
• Understand the significance of education and partnerships with organizations like the Culinary Academy and Nevada Partners.
• Discover how Greenside Up Farms is making a difference in fighting food deserts and promoting a sustainable and equitable food system.

Tweetable Quotes

“I never really even had a real understanding or relationship with food desert. So really going out there and seeing a food desert and then really wanting to kind of do research on the cause of those things, I just started doing a lot of research on food security, what happens to these communities, how it happens to these communities, and then what's being done to fix these communities.”

“Really for a lot of communities, it's really starting off with the education, understanding what food access is and then how do you start to reclaim that and developing a model around that. So it's not just saying, hey, you put a farm over here, you put a grocery store over here in this food desert, it's going to fix the problem. Harry Duran: Sure. And that's what a lot of people think from the outside looking in.”

“And I don't think there's one system that fits all. I think it's a combination of utilizing all of these systems and really using that to address the issue of access to food because there's a very economic aspect of that that a lot of them is missed.”

Resources Mentioned

Alaric's Website - https://greensideup.farm

Alaric's Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaric-overbey-27248594/

Alaric's Twitter - https://twitter.com/slumgardens

Alaric's Email - [email protected]

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Mentioned in this episode:

2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews

2025 Precision Ag Report

2025 Precision Ag Report by iGrowNews

2025 Precision Ag Report