AmplifiedAg Advances SC & CA Corrections Vertical Farm Partnerships
Agriculture technology leader, AmplifiedAg, continues to lead the way in vertical farming in the corrections industry. The company has made advancements in two significant partnerships with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, in collaboration with reentry program partner Impact Justice and its Growing Justice initiative, and CEA advisor Skout Strategy.
Merging sustainable, local food access with job training and reentry programming, these projects set a new precedent for how correctional systems can cultivate healthier communities on both sides of the fence while positively impacting recidivism rates.
SC Dept. of Corrections prepares container farm for its first harvest this fall, a historic vertical farming milestone
The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) is preparing for the first harvest from its new container farm at the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Women’s Institution this fall. This achievement marks a historic milestone as the first significant vertical farm ever established inside a U.S. correctional facility.
More than a source of fresh, nutritious produce, the initiative represents a groundbreaking model for modern agriculture workforce development—providing incarcerated individuals with hands-on training in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and meaningful job opportunities upon release.
“The South Carolina Department of Corrections is making their final operational and facility updates, while the program’s container farm manager and reentry program manager are currently working with the very first cohort of program participants,” says AmplifiedAg CEO, David Flynn.
The four-container farm operation will produce approximately 48,000 lbs of fresh leafy greens annually to service Camille Graham’s cafeteria and other neighboring institutions, all grown by the women behind bars at Camille Graham. Women who participate in the vertical farming program will receive classroom training in vertical farming techniques and general agriculture, as well as real-world experience operating the farms from seeding to harvesting, utilizing agriculture technology, food safety practices, and more.
AmplifiedAg launches new “Vertical Farm Kits,” delivers first to Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla
In August, AmplifiedAg delivered the company’s new “vertical farm kits” to the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. This is a unique corrections initiative where incarcerated individuals will not only operate the farms and grow crops, but also take part in constructing the farms themselves, learning about container farms from the ground up.
Flynn explains, “Our team invested significant time developing detailed assembly manuals tailored to correctional facilities and their unique regulatory requirements. This self-assembly approach creates a valuable experience for incarcerated individuals to gain a deeper understanding of the farm’s technology and engineered systems—learning not just how to grow crops, but how the hardware and software work together in vertical farms.”
AmplifiedAg’s new vertical farm kit is like a farm-in-a-box, delivered with everything needed to build a fully functioning vertical farm on site, whether that be inside a container farm, a room, a warehouse, or any enclosed environment.
“AmplifiedAg technology is agnostic to the environment that it operates in. We have traditionally utilized the container farm model for our operations, but our farm kits showcase the agility and diverse applications of our technology,” adds Flynn.
Later this month, AmplifiedAg is set to deliver a vertical farm kit to the Impact Justice headquarters in Oakland, California, which will serve as a vertical farming hub where formerly incarcerated individuals from the California correctional system can work and learn agriculture skills upon their release.
“Our AmplifiedAg team is deeply committed to advancing our corrections initiatives. Being able to make a difference in the lives of underserved populations with access to fresh food and agriculture workforce development is the core of our company mission,” says Flynn.
“We hope these partnerships inspire other correctional institutions and workforce development organizations to implement these powerful programs in their own communities.”
"Formerly incarcerated people make great, loyal employees but, too often, job training programs in prison don't set people up for success once they come home," says Kelly Danner, Growing Justice program lead at Impact Justice. "We wanted to set our workforce development program in a high-tech environment in order to give our participants the opportunity to learn broadly applicable skills that will put them on a path to meaningful employment, and our partnership with AmplifiedAg has allowed us to do that."