Urban farmers could reshape America’s food landscape

Once an investment banker, now a farmer.

Erik Groszyk, 30, is surely one of the few who could make that claim.

“I graduated from Harvard with a degree in government, and it just kind of felt like a natural progression from there,” explained urban farmer Eric Groszyk, “But when I got in that position, I found myself not satisfied and kind of yearning for more.

“I always grew up gardening with my parents and being in the outdoors,” he continued. “So I went and sought out some of the community gardens all over the city and just started volunteering there and found that I really like the work and just enjoy being outside again and reconnecting with nature a little bit.”

Groszyk, a Harvard grad, joined a program offered by Square Roots an indoor urban farming company. The company trains people to grow food year ’round—in cities. Groszyk’s “farm” is a shipping container in a Brooklyn parking lot.

Square Roots taught Groszyk the mastery of artificial lighting, water chemistry, and nutrient balance.

He can harvest 15 to 20 pounds of produce each week.

His customers like knowing where their food comes from.

“They know me, they know how I’m growing, they can come see my farm at any time, and they kind of get that insight into how their food is being grown,” Groszyk said, “and that they can trust where it comes from.”

He is not the only urban farmer in the city.

Nabeela Lakhani, 23, is the resident urban chef at Chalk Point Kitchen, a market-to-table restaurant in Lower Manhattan, three nights per week. She is also a Square Roots farmer.

“I’ve always been interested in food ever since I was in high school,” said Lakhani. “I read Fast Food Nation and I was like, ‘This is insane. I have to do something about it.’”

Square Roots was started by Tobias Peggs and Kimbal Musk, the younger brother of Tesla founder Elon Musk.

Square Roots plans to spread to as many American cities as possible.

After that? The rest of the world.

“America is the world’s great, greatest exporter. Right? We exported rock’n’roll, we exported Levis jeans, we also exported obesity,” said Square Roots co-founder, Tobias Peggs.

“And the feeling is that if we can solve that in America through initiatives like Square Roots—bringing real food to everyone, getting more people a healthy, local sustainable food system—we will also be able to export that solution as well,” he said.