SC Daily Gazette: Vertical lettuce farm launches at SC prison, a first in the country
The Fresh Start Produce program aims to teach prisoners skills for life and jobs
SC Daily Gazette got a glimpse inside the new “Fresh Start” Farm at Camille Griffin Graham Correctional in Columbia, S.C.
“Seven shipping containers sit outside a South Carolina women’s prison. Inside four, amid the lights and fans, grow stacked rows of lettuce in various stages of their lifecycle.
The farm, publicly celebrated Thursday, is the first of its kind at a prison in the country. Along with teaching inmates agricultural and life skills, the program could serve as a model for prisons and companies across the country to create their own vertical farms. Work began in the shipping containers in January, with inmates harvesting around 3,500 heads of lettuce every Thursday.
The produce, once harvested, goes back to Camille Griffin Graham Correctional, one of the state’s prisons for women, and two other prisons on the same complex.
That saves the prison system money on greens and gives inmates access to freshly grown food, said Alex Busansky, president of nonprofit Impact Justice, which is helping operate the farm.
With support from a $97,000 grant from South Carolina philanthropy group Power:Ed, inmates who complete the program, named Fresh Start Produce, will receive $1,450 once they leave prison. That equates to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 for each of the 200 hours of work expected.
By the time they finish the course, the women should have a good base knowledge of food safety, how to plan a farm and how to run an agricultural business, said David Flynn, who leads vertical farming company AmplifiedAg, which donated the equipment and technology to start the program.
A big component of the program is job training. Hydroponics is an expanding field, and teaching inmates farming skills could help them get a more general job in agriculture, which is a major challenge for many companies, said Department of Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers.
More farmers might be interested in trying out hydroponic farming, which allows people to harvest crops they might not otherwise have the space or soil to grow, if it works at the prison, Weathers said.