AggieCulture
Team members
Max Vo
Bachelor
UC Davis
DANXIANG WANG
Bachelor
University of California, Davis
Chen-Shu Lin
Bachelor
University of California, Davis
Bacongo Cisse
Bachelor
UC Davis
Ivan Martinez
Bachelor
University of California, Davis
Tavon Naddaf
fresh graduate
University of California, Davis
Md Shamim Ahamed
PHD
University of California Davis
Annam Tran
Bachelor
University of California, Davis
Julia Dang
Bachelor
University of California, Davis
Nathan Shang
Bachelor
University of California, Davis
Ofelia Viloche Pulido
Master
UC Davis
Tiffany Chen
Bachelor
University of California, Davis
Christopher Esparza-Lezo
Bachelor
University of California, Davis
Yusuf Azam
Bachelor
University of California - Davis
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About us
Diverse range of UC Davis undergraduates, graduates, and doctors designing a sustainable future.
Artist impression of the site & indoor production structure
One-liner that describes the essence of your project
Living Gardens cultivates sustainable health sovereignty through the story of a plant growing in symbiotic harmony with its ecosystem.
Total concept pitch
When conventional food system failures meet socioeconomic disparities, food apartheid emerges as a critical barrier to self determination of health in marginalized urban communities. Ward 7, Washington DC has only a single grocery store to feed a growing population of nearly 80,000 people, with 96.8% people of color, 21.5% families below poverty, and among the highest regional diet-related disease rates. How can a food desert struggling with such inequities affordably feed itself using 83% lower carbon footprint and 98% less water than conventional produce from farm to table? Living Gardens cultivates sustainable health sovereignty through the story of a plant growing in symbiotic harmony with its ecosystem, stretching its roots and reaching its branches to harness circularity within and without. Roots source inputs from community members, suppliers, institutions, and diverted waste. Leaves are stackable, solar powered aquaponic modules using upcycled shipping containers for low cost, highly adaptable, highly scalable organic production, each capable of “photosynthesizing” fresh, biodiverse produce for 76 households year round with about one households’ energy use. Fruit Branches are grocery trucks and local partnerships providing access to nutritionally complete and culturally receptive outputs, helping partners grow along the way. Seeds are educational and entrepreneurial opportunities. The East Capitol Urban Farm Stem grows from a start-up hub for Leaf construction, propagation, feed production, processing, community kitchens and composting to a Trunk flourishing with educational facilities, health and social services, local artist exhibitions, recreational space, gardening plots, and a regenerative food forest. The efficient design leverages a two million USD budget to consistently nourish nearly one in five Ward 7 households. Living Gardens acts as a versatile and actionable blueprint uniting people, process, and technology to freely express their own “phenotype' that meets their needs. Public involvement, health data, and partner performance track continuous improvement on pain points. Closed-loop production and circular economy lay groundwork for a sustainable business model potentially yielding 23% inflation-adjusted return on investment in 10 years. 100% community-sourced, Living Gardens promotes leaders to aim beyond nutritional security and inspire a growing spirit for all.