Reimagining Grogeries: Indoor Urban Aeroponics Food Security Farm
Details
Northern Alberta
The Connected Kitchen Project Foundation
The Idea
The Connected Kitchen Project Foundation is proposing Reimagined Groceries, an indoor vertical aeroponics farm at 14444 118 Ave NW, Edmonton. This sustainable social impact project responds to the urgent reality that more than 250,000 people in Edmonton are food insecure—a crisis that worsens health outcomes, increases pressure on social services, and impacts dignity and community well-being.
Reimagined Groceries will deploy patented agricultural technology from Alberta Food Security Inc. (AFSI) to grow up to 1,300 lbs of culturally appropriate, nutrient-dense produce every month in a controlled environment. Using vertical aeroponics, the system produces consistent harvests while requiring minimal water, energy, and space. AFSI’s technology has successfully grown over 150 fruit, vegetable, and herb varieties indoors, making it a proven solution for urban food production.
Food grown will flow into three integrated streams:
1. Food Security & Hampers – Donations of fresh produce will support grassroots organizations including Together We Strong, Time for Kindness, Creating Hope Society, and Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council. Crops will also supply the WeCan Food Basket Society’s affordable subscription hampers, ensuring low-income households have access to safe, healthy food.
2. Value-Added Products – Crops will be processed at our AHS-approved communal commercial kitchen, the Solidarity Kitchen Hub, into soups, juices, freeze-dried products, and culturally tailored meal kits. This approach ensures food safety, extends shelf life, and creates long-term reserves that grassroots programs can draw from year-round.
3. Wholesale for Sustainability – Surplus produce will be sold to partners such as Meals on Wheels, WeCan, and independent ethnic grocers. Revenue from these sales will be reinvested into operations, staffing, and community programming, ensuring the project becomes financially sustainable rather than dependent solely on donations.
Reimagined Groceries will deploy patented agricultural technology from Alberta Food Security Inc. (AFSI) to grow up to 1,300 lbs of culturally appropriate, nutrient-dense produce every month in a controlled environment. Using vertical aeroponics, the system produces consistent harvests while requiring minimal water, energy, and space. AFSI’s technology has successfully grown over 150 fruit, vegetable, and herb varieties indoors, making it a proven solution for urban food production.
Food grown will flow into three integrated streams:
1. Food Security & Hampers – Donations of fresh produce will support grassroots organizations including Together We Strong, Time for Kindness, Creating Hope Society, and Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council. Crops will also supply the WeCan Food Basket Society’s affordable subscription hampers, ensuring low-income households have access to safe, healthy food.
2. Value-Added Products – Crops will be processed at our AHS-approved communal commercial kitchen, the Solidarity Kitchen Hub, into soups, juices, freeze-dried products, and culturally tailored meal kits. This approach ensures food safety, extends shelf life, and creates long-term reserves that grassroots programs can draw from year-round.
3. Wholesale for Sustainability – Surplus produce will be sold to partners such as Meals on Wheels, WeCan, and independent ethnic grocers. Revenue from these sales will be reinvested into operations, staffing, and community programming, ensuring the project becomes financially sustainable rather than dependent solely on donations.
An educational component is woven throughout. Youth, volunteers, and emerging food leaders will join hands-on workshops in food safety, aeroponics, and sustainability. This builds intergenerational knowledge, prepares leaders, and strengthens Edmonton’s capacity to address food insecurity with innovation.
Reimagined Groceries is more than a farm. It is a shared resource that provides immediate relief, teaches long-term skills, and shows how food systems can be redesigned to serve people equitably and sustainably.
Who Will Benefit?
Reimagined Groceries directly addresses the needs of 250,000 people in Edmonton experiencing food insecurity. These individuals face daily trade-offs between rent, utilities, and nutrition, leading to poor health, higher costs on social systems, and intergenerational impacts.
Direct beneficiaries include:
- Indigenous, newcomer, and Black communities who often struggle to access culturally appropriate foods. By growing diverse crops, we ensure that hampers and meal kits reflect cultural traditions and dietary needs.
- Grassroots organizations such as Together We Strong, Time for Kindness, Creating Hope Society, and Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council, who operate community kitchens and rely on consistent, safe food inputs.
- WeCan Food Basket Society, which delivers affordable hampers to thousands of households. Reliable produce supply lowers costs and increases nutritional quality.
- Meals on Wheels, serving homebound seniors and vulnerable residents who require healthy food delivered with dignity.
- Youth, Elders, and volunteers who will take part in education and training workshops, gaining skills in aeroponics, food safety, nutrition, and sustainable food practices.
The project also benefits the wider Edmonton community by:
- Strengthening the local food supply chain with year-round production that reduces reliance on imports.
- Building capacity for grassroots and nonprofit organizations by ensuring they have reliable, safe, and affordable ingredients.
- Reducing environmental impact by using 95% less water than traditional agriculture and eliminating the need for long-distance transport.
- Increasing collaboration between nonprofits, meal programs, and local grocers through a shared resource model.
By producing 1,300 lbs of fresh food each month, Reimagined Groceries provides immediate nourishment while fostering long-term resilience. It ensures that vulnerable residents, especially those most often excluded, have equitable access to food that respects both health and culture.
Direct beneficiaries include:
- Indigenous, newcomer, and Black communities who often struggle to access culturally appropriate foods. By growing diverse crops, we ensure that hampers and meal kits reflect cultural traditions and dietary needs.
- Grassroots organizations such as Together We Strong, Time for Kindness, Creating Hope Society, and Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council, who operate community kitchens and rely on consistent, safe food inputs.
- WeCan Food Basket Society, which delivers affordable hampers to thousands of households. Reliable produce supply lowers costs and increases nutritional quality.
- Meals on Wheels, serving homebound seniors and vulnerable residents who require healthy food delivered with dignity.
- Youth, Elders, and volunteers who will take part in education and training workshops, gaining skills in aeroponics, food safety, nutrition, and sustainable food practices.
The project also benefits the wider Edmonton community by:
- Strengthening the local food supply chain with year-round production that reduces reliance on imports.
- Building capacity for grassroots and nonprofit organizations by ensuring they have reliable, safe, and affordable ingredients.
- Reducing environmental impact by using 95% less water than traditional agriculture and eliminating the need for long-distance transport.
- Increasing collaboration between nonprofits, meal programs, and local grocers through a shared resource model.
By producing 1,300 lbs of fresh food each month, Reimagined Groceries provides immediate nourishment while fostering long-term resilience. It ensures that vulnerable residents, especially those most often excluded, have equitable access to food that respects both health and culture.